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Workshops

The below workshops are organised independently from the conference but are part of the conference program. Pre-registration is essential and is included in your conference registration.

 

Workshop registrations will open Friday 27 February via the link at the bottom of this page.

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All workshops will be held at the conference venue concurrently on Wednesday 6 May 2026 from 1:30pm - 3:00pm and are available to delegates who are already registered as a F2F delegate.

 

Workshops are not available to Plenary Hub delegates and will not be live streamed in the Plenary Hub.

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Workshop #1
Better Together: A train-the-trainer model for community-led food literacy and healthy eating action

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​Workshop Hosted by: 

Eat Well Tasmania Inc.

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Presenter/Facilitator(s):

Kate Crawford, Eat Well Tasmania Inc.

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Workshop Summary:

Traditional top-down food literacy programs can limit community ownership and long-term sustainability. Eat Well Tasmania’s Better Together program offers a practical train-the-trainer model that empowers local organisations, community groups and individuals to lead their own healthy eating and food literacy workshops using evidence-based, engaging resources. Better Together provides a comprehensive toolkit; including lesson plans, recipes, activities, promotional assets and evaluation supports; designed to build local capacity to plan, deliver and evaluate community cooking events and learning sessions grounded in seasonal, nutritious food.

 

This 90-minute interactive workshop will explore how the Better Together model translates prevention evidence into community-led practice by equipping trainers with the confidence, skills and tools to run sustainable food literacy initiatives tailored to their local context. Using case examples and facilitated group activities, participants will examine how the program:

• Strengthens sustainable systems by decentralising delivery and building local leadership for ongoing healthy eating promotion.

• Translates evidence into action through accessible curriculum and evaluation tools that support behaviour change.

• Builds social connection and culture by fostering collaborative, inclusive cooking and learning experiences.

 

Participants will leave with practical, actionable insights on adopting and scaling train-the-trainer approaches to strengthen preventive health efforts across diverse community settings.

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Additional Details:

Why this matters Food literacy is a critical but under-resourced lever in preventive health, particularly in communities experiencing food insecurity, social isolation and chronic disease risk. Many programs rely on specialist facilitators, limiting reach, sustainability and local ownership. Better Together responds to this challenge through a train-the-trainer model that equips community organisations, volunteers and frontline workers to confidently deliver evidence-based food literacy and healthy eating sessions in their own settings — embedding prevention capability where people already gather. This workshop demonstrates how capacity-building models can strengthen prevention systems, extend impact beyond funded periods, and support equitable, community-led health promotion.

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Learning Outcomes (3-5):

  1. Understand the design and theory of change underpinning the Better Together train-the-trainer model

  2. Identify key components required to build community delivery capability (resources, facilitation, quality assurance, evaluation)

  3. Explore practical strategies for adapting train-the-trainer approaches across diverse contexts (regional, remote, culturally diverse, emergency food settings)

  4. Apply learnings to their own prevention programs using a guided planning activity

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Target Audience: 

  • Preventive health practitioners

  • Community health and wellbeing organisations

  • Local government and place-based program leads

  • Funders and policy makers interested in scalable prevention models

  • Food relief and emergency food sector organisations

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Domain: 

Policy/Practice

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Sub-theme: 

6) Centring Prevention in People, Culture, and Connection

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Workshop #2 
Breaking Through the Noise: Research-Driven Campaigns for Preventive Health Impact and Equity

 

​Workshop Hosted by: 

Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer; Cancer Council Victoria

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Co-Presenting Authors:
Dr Clover Maitland - Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer; Cancer Council Victoria

Ms. Kerryann Wyatt - Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer; Cancer Council Victoria

Ms. Kelly Dienaar - Prevention Division; Cancer Council Victoria

Prof. Sarah Durkin - Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer; Cancer Council Victoria
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Workshop Summary:

This interactive workshop will explore the process of developing and implementing preventive health campaigns in today’s complex media landscape. With audiences increasingly segmented by algorithms and hyper-targeting, achieving population-level impact and social norm change presents new challenges.

 

The session will showcase evidence-based approaches to formative research and strategy development, drawing on real-world case studies such as tobacco control and cancer screening campaigns. Participants will also engage in practical activities to address emerging issues, including balancing tailored messaging with broad reach, leveraging digital platforms effectively, and understanding audience profiles to ensure equity for priority groups. Finally, expert panellists from the campaign delivery, media strategy and research and evaluation fields will share insights on optimising campaign development and delivery strategies across channels, while maintaining cost-effectiveness and maximising impact.

 

Aligned with conference themes of ‘translating evidence into action’ and ‘leveraging technology for personalised prevention’, this timely workshop will offer a collaborative space for policy, practice, and research professionals to discuss challenges and create future-oriented solutions for optimising impact and equity in preventive health campaigns. Participants will leave equipped with best practice evidence, innovative ideas and actionable insights to help break through the noise and deliver impactful public health campaigns to improve health outcomes for all Australians.

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Additional Details:

Workshop structure will include:

  1. presentations,

  2. participant table discussions, and

  3. expert panel

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Learning Outcomes (3-5):

  1. Greater understanding of how to integrate formative research into campaign design for diverse audiences.

  2. Broader knowledge of strategies to optimise media mix and maintain population-level impact in an evolving media landscape.

  3. Better anticipation of challenges and ability to apply solutions in preventive health campaign development and delivery.

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Target Audience: 

​Policy, practice, and research professionals interested in preventive health campaigns.

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Domain: 

Policy/Practice

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Sub-theme: 

3) Translating Evidence into Action: Implementing What Works, and

4) Leveraging Technology for Personalised Prevention

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​Workshop #3
From evidence to influence: practical science communication for prevention impact

 

​Workshop Hosted by: 

The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre

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Presenter/Facilitator: 

Jennie Smiedt, Communications Manager and Co-chair Science Communications Community of Practice, The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre

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Workshop Summary:

Sustainable prevention depends not only on generating high-quality evidence, but on building the capability to communicate that evidence in ways that enable ongoing action. Yet many prevention researchers and practitioners are expected to mobilise evidence without formal training in science communication, or clear guidance on how to do so without losing scientific rigour.

 

This interactive workshop positions science communication as a core component of knowledge mobilisation and a critical enabler of translating evidence into action. It focuses on process rather than platforms, equipping participants with a clear, repeatable approach to developing audience-centred, evidence-informed messages that support prevention impact.

 

Using a shared prevention-relevant research example, participants will explore how evidence can be shaped for different audiences and contexts. Through facilitated discussion and practical exercises, participants will develop a shared language for effective science communication and build confidence in translating evidence in ways that support prevention impact without compromising rigour.

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Additional Details:

(nil)​
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Learning Outcomes (3-5):

  1. Better understand the role of science communication within knowledge mobilisation and prevention impact.

  2. Reflect on how evidence can be shaped and framed for different audiences and decision-making contexts.

  3. Recognise common tensions between clarity, persuasion and scientific rigour in prevention communication.

  4. Gain practical insight into how more consistent, audience-aware communication can support prevention action.

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Target Audience: 

​Researchers, practitioners and policy professionals working in prevention who communicate evidence for impact.

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Domain: 

Policy/Practice

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Sub-theme: 

3) Translating Evidence into Action: Implementing What Works

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Workshop #4
Sustaining Prevention: Building Capacity and Advocacy to Navigate Commercial Determinants in Alcohol and Gambling Harm Prevention

 

​Workshop Hosted by:

CHETRE in partnership with ISLHD and FHCA Gambling Working Group​

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Facilitated by:

Centre for Health Equity Training, Research & Evaluation (CHETRE) | UNSW ICFHS SWSLLHD

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Co-Presenters:
Ms. Gabriela Martinez, Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD) Alcohol and Other Drugs Service
Mr. Andrew Reid, Centre for Health Equity Training, Research & Evaluation (CHETRE)​​

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Workshop Summary:

This interactive workshop examines why comprehensive alcohol and gambling harm prevention interventions are difficult to sustain when policy frameworks are shaped by commercial interests rather than public health evidence. Participants will explore how regulatory capture systematically obstructs effective prevention measures across Australia.

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The workshop presents evidence of industry resistance tactics, including self-regulated advertising codes that exclude major sources of harm, partial restrictions that can increase exposure, and policy inaction despite strong evidence. Participants will critically assess regulatory frameworks across jurisdictions, examining why New South Wales has nearly half of Australia’s poker machines while Western Australia’s casino only model is associated with substantially lower harm. Participants will also develop jurisdiction specific advocacy strategies for systems change.

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Additional Details:

(nil)​​

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Learning Outcomes (3-5):

  1. Identify industry resistance mechanisms

  2. Understand regulatory capture using current evidence

  3. Develop practical strategies for comprehensive reform

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Target Audience: 

Public health practitioners, policy advocates, NGOs, government, researchers working on alcohol/gambling prevention.

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Domain: 

Policy/Practice

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Sub-theme: 

5) Navigating the Commercial Determinants of Health​​

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Co-Authors and Affiliations:
1. Ms. Emma Lavilles (4) 
1. Ms. Gabriela Martinez (4)
2. Mr. Andrew Reid (1,2,3)
(1) Centre for Health Equity Training, Research & Evaluation (CHETRE), 
(2) A Unit of Population Health - Population Health Research & Epidemiology, SWSLHD, 
(3) UNSW International Centre for Future Health Systems (ICFHS), 
(4) Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD) Alcohol and Other Drugs Service

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Workshop #5 
Scaling Trust: Translating Grassroots Engagement into Sustainable Prevention Systems

 

​Workshop Hosted by: 

Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative

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Presenter/Facilitator: 

Priyanka Rai, Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative

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Co-Presenter:
Mr. Carlo Krikowa, Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative

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Workshop Summary:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia demonstrated that targeted, grassroots approaches were the most effective way to reach multicultural communities with prevention messaging, service navigation and vaccination information. Community-led delivery through trusted organisations, leaders and bilingual workers achieved levels of reach, trust and uptake that mainstream, broadcast-style prevention strategies struggled to deliver.

 

This workshop uses that experience as an evidence base to argue that grassroots, community-led prevention is not a crisis-specific response, but a proven and transferable model. Drawing on COVID-19 as a system stress test and contemporary prevention initiatives such as cancer screening, the workshop explores how trust-based, place-based approaches can be embedded as core prevention infrastructure rather than treated as temporary or supplementary measures.

 

Despite this evidence, prevention systems continue to rely heavily on mass communication, translated materials and short-term project funding. Grassroots approaches are often framed as “engagement” rather than delivery infrastructure, limiting sustainability and impact, particularly for prevention priorities such as cancer screening that require ongoing participation and trust.

 

The workshop will translate what worked during COVID into practical design principles for ongoing prevention, outlining key elements such as community leadership, co-design, trusted intermediaries and local delivery. Participants will take part in a facilitated redesign exercise, applying these principles to a mainstream prevention initiative to identify practical system changes that better embed trust, cultural responsiveness and sustainability.

 

This workshop is intended for prevention policymakers, planners, practitioners, funders and researchers seeking evidence-informed, equity-focused prevention approaches at scale.

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Additional Details:

(nil)​​​

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Learning Outcomes (3-5):

  1. Understand the key design principles that made grassroots, community-led prevention effective during COVID-19 and why they remain relevant beyond emergency settings.

  2. Differentiate between community “engagement” and delivery infrastructure and recognise how this distinction affects the sustainability and impact of prevention initiatives.

  3. Apply grassroots prevention principles to redesign a mainstream prevention initiative, such as cancer screening, to improve trust, cultural safety and participation.

  4. Identify system and funding barriers that limit community-led prevention and pinpoint practical levers to address these in policy, commissioning and service design.

  5. Build confidence to advocate for evidence-informed, equity-focused prevention approaches that centre people, culture and connection.

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Target Audience: 

Prevention policymakers, planners, practitioners, funders and researchers seeking practical, evidence-informed approaches to equity-focused prevention at scale.​

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Domain: 

Policy/Practice

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Sub-theme: 

6) Centring Prevention in People, Culture, and Connection​

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Registration:

There is no additional cost for attending the workshops, but you will need to register as space is limited

REGISTER FOR WORKSHOPS HERE FROM FRIDAY 27 FEBRUARY
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