Tammy Allen
Biography
Dr Tammy Allen is a public health practitioner, researcher, and educator with more than 25 years of experience in public health, including 16 years at James Cook University. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion, a Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and a PhD examining factors influencing community engagement approaches in Aedes mosquito management in North Queensland, Australia. Dr Allen's work is focused on translating research gaps in public health emergency preparedness and response in the tropics, into real-world impact directly informing policy, guidance, and standards that strengthen public health practice globally.
Over the past decade, Dr Allen has established an international reputation for her leadership in public health emergency management research - particularly in strengthening the use of Public Health Emergency Operations Centres (PHEOCs), and for advancing community engagement approaches for mosquito-borne disease prevention and control. She has led multiple projects that have been integral to shaping World Health Organization guidance in both these areas.
Global Expert Advisory Invitations:
Co-Chair, WHO working group on community protection for Priority Arboviruses with Epidemic Potential (2026-ongoing)
Member, WHO TAG-Arbovirus Technical Advisory Group on Arbovirus - Community Engagement Advisor (2021-2023; 2024-2026)
Technical Research Advisor - WHO EOC-NET (2015-ongoing)
Technical Expert- PacMOSSI (2026-ongoing)
Contributions to global technical guidance, policy briefs and frameworks:
2026 - Risk Communication and Community Engagement Readiness and Response Toolkit: Chikungunya (draft)
2026 - Framework for a Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (Version 2) not yet available online
2026 - Urban yellow fever risk management: handbook for national preparedness and response planning
2024 - Risk communication and community engagement readiness and response toolkit: dengue fever
2024 - Risk communication and community engagement readiness and response toolkit: zika virus
2016 - Handbook for developing a public health emergency operations centre: part C
2015 - Framework for a Public Health Emergency Operations Centre
2015 -Handbook for developing a public health emergency operations centre: part A
2015 - Summary report of systematic reviews for public health emergency operations centres
Global Expert Meeting Invitations:
WHO EOC-NET Working Group & Annual Meetings: Geneva (2015 - 2x meetings, 2016 – 2x meetings, 2017); Chiang Mai (2019); Dubai (2024)
WHO TAG-Arbovirus Meetings: Ghana (2023); France (2024), Online (2025, 2026)
Asia-Europe Foundation and European Centre Disease Control: How can we better prepared for the next global health threat: planning & implementing risk communication, Sweden (2016)
Global expert invited presentations:
‘Community engagement in novel population and environmental interventions for the control of epidemic-potential arboviruses’, WHO Working Group on Community Protection for Priority Arboviruses with Epidemic Potential. Online. (2026)
'Community Engagement and Arbovirus Control', Fondation Merieux Expert Arbovirus Meeting, France. (2024)
'Citizen Science and Medical Entomology' World Health Organization TAG-Arbovirus Meeting, France. (2024)
'Communication for Behavioural Impact in Dengue Fever Outbreak Response'. WHO-AFRO Dengue Fever Webinar Series. (2024)
'Communication for Behavioural Impact in Dengue Fever Outbreak Response'. WHO-SEARO Dengue Outbreak Control Webinar Series. (2023)
‘Best practice community engagement in Arbovirus control in the Asia-Pacific Region’. WHO TAG Arbovirus Meeting, Ghana. (2023)
‘Recommendations for community-based mosquito control in the Torres Strait’. Technical Advisory Group Meeting, Aedes albopictus Torres Strait Program (2022)
Invited chair - panel discussion: Emergency Operations Centers, Research and Innovation, WHO Health Emergency Operation Centres Network Meeting, Chiang Mai, Thailand. (2019)
Awards
2020 - Team Lead, JCU Citation Teaching Award
2017 - First Author, Best Paper: Journal of Tropical Medicine and Health : Impact of the Lymphatic Filariasis Control Program towards elimination of filariasis in Vanuatu: 1997-2006.
Conference & Other Presentations
2026 - ‘More than buy-In: Rethinking community engagement for next-generation arbovirus interventions’ - Centre for Tropical Biosecurity, Joint Seminar Series.
2026 – 30 years of community engagement in dengue prevention – strategies, barriers and organisational insights from North Queensland Global Health Security Conference, Kuala Lumper (Poster Presentation)
2023 - Factors influencing community participation approaches in Aedes management in the Torres Strait, 15th Mosquito Control Association of Australia Conference, Brisbane (Oral Presentation)
2023 - Aedes mosquito management in the Torres Strait: what is impeding a community-based model of practice? 2nd Annual Southern Cross Tropical Medicine Conference, Sydney, Australia (Poster Presentation)
2021 - The buzz factors influencing community engagement in Aedes aegypti management in north Queensland. Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service Symposium, Cairns, Australia (Poster Presentation)
2019 - Gaps and Opportunities in EOC Research, WHO Health Emergency Operation Centres Network Meeting, Chiang Mai, Thailand (Poster Presentation)
2019 - Mosquito-borne disease and community engagement in high-income countries: scoping review. Global Health Security Conference. Sydney, Australia (Poster Presentation)
2014 - Spencer, R, Allen, T. Systematic Review of PHEOC Plans and Procedures, First Public Health Emergency Operation Centre Framework Meeting, WHO, Geneva (Oral Presentation).
2014 - Using a disaster management system to respond to public health emergencies, Australasian Tropical Health Conference, Cairns, Australia (Oral Presentation)
Recent/Current Projects: (2025/26)
Collaborator: CSIRO/JCU Building Resilience Together - Empowering Indigenous Communities through Transdisciplinary Modelling for enhanced mosquito control (2025-2027)
Lead Investigator: JCU/WHO Community Engagement in Novel Population and Environmental Interventions - Scoping Review (2025-2026)
Senior Co-Investigator: JCU/WHO: One Health in Practice: A scoping review of Lessons Learned from Non-Aedes-borne Arboviral Outbreaks (2025-2026)
Emerging Projects (2026-)
Secondary Advisor: Misinformation Intervention for H5N1 Avian Influenza in a North Queensland Population
Collaborator: Strengthening Regional Biosecurity Partnerships: Engagement with the Cairns Public Health Unit (Centre for Tropical Biosecurity, 2026 Small Grant - $2450)
Current JCU Committee Membership:
2024 - ongoing: Center for Tropical Biosecurity Management Committee Member
2024 - ongoing: PHTM Leadership Committee Member
2024 - ongoing: PHTM Learning and Teaching Committee Core Member
2025 - ongoing: CMD Post Graduate Working Group Member
Recent Teaching Consultancies:
Public Health Program Planning and Evaluation Masterclass, Cairns, 2022 ($14000)
Research
Research Interests
- Public Health Emergency Operation Centres
- Mosquito borne disease, community engagement