Joseph Kamara
- joseph.kamara@jcu.edu.au
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8727-9611
- Senior Lecturer Disaster Health and Humanitarian Assistance
Projects
0
Publications
25
Awards
0
Biography
Dr. Joseph Kamara is a recognised
thought leader, practitioner and scholar of disaster resilience and humanitarian
operations with extensive experience in policy and practice. His career spans
leadership roles in international humanitarian organisations and policy
advocacy, significantly shaping disaster resilience, emergency response, and
humanitarian interventions.
He is a Senior Lecturer at James
Cook University’s College of Medicine, Dentistry, where he leads postgraduate
programs in disaster health and public health in humanitarian emergencies. He
designs curricula, spearheads research initiatives, mentors emerging scholars,
and fosters national and international collaborations to advance disaster
health and resilience. He previously served as an academic advisor,
representing the humanitarian sector on Western Sydney University’s
Humanitarian and Development Studies program advisory committee (2020–2024).
His governance experience includes board memberships in humanitarian organisations.
Dr. Kamara brings over two
decades of experience in humanitarian operations and research-driven policy
engagement. He actively strengthened humanitarian governance, disaster risk
reduction, and public health in emergencies. As Regional Director for
Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs at World Vision International (East and
Southern Africa), he secured funding, forged strategic partnerships, and
influenced international policy. His leadership shaped the international
community’s responses to major crises, including the Yellow Fever outbreak in
Angola, Cyclone Idai’s devastation in Mozambique, the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak
in DR Congo, the Horn of Africa’s locust infestation and drought crisis, the
Northern Ethiopia and Sudan conflict-induced crises, and the Southern Africa El
Niño Emergency Response.
His research portfolio spans
disaster resilience, anticipatory action, climate change adaptation, migration
and public health. He has secured significant research funding and published
extensively in peer-reviewed journals, directly informing global humanitarian
policy and practice. He has built a strong network of collaborators across
institutions, including Deakin University, ERLHA, Khulna University, Makerere
University, Nairobi University, and Western Sydney University. He is committed
to bridging research and practice, mentoring and supervising students, and equipping
them with real-world expertise in disaster health management and humanitarian
response.
Dr. Kamara regularly delivers keynote addresses and participates in high-level policy discussions at international forums. In the past three years, he has addressed the US Congressional Hunger Caucus, AidEx, the Africa Humanitarian Forums, and the European Humanitarian Forum. Global media outlets frequently seek his insights on humanitarian crises and resilience-building strategies.
Dr. Kamara continues to shape the scientific and policy foundations of disaster resilience and foster the development of future leaders in the sector.