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Doctor

Silvana Bettiol

Senior Lecturer Public Health & Communicable Disease

Medicine

Orcid identifier0000-0002-4355-4498
  • Senior Lecturer Public Health & Communicable Disease
    Medicine
  • +61 3 6226 4826 (Work)
  • Tasmanian School of Medicine, Medicine, Level 2 Medical Sciences 2, Hobart CBD Campuses, TAS

BIO

Growing up in semi-rural Tasmania, Dr. Bettiol developed a profound appreciation for her natural environment and the human impact of disease. This passion led her to pursue a PhD in Medical Science at her alma mater, the University of Tasmania (UTAS).

Dr Silvana Bettiol is a Senior Lecturer in Public Health and Communicable Diseases at the Tasmanian School of Medicine (TSOM), College of Health and Medicine, UTAS. She is currently the Graduate Research Coordinator at the Tasmanian School of Medicine. Her teaching and research emphasise her interests in social determinants of health, reflecting a holistic approach and recognising that health outcomes are intricately linked to societal factors and the prevention and management of disease. For over 30 years, she has not only developed curricula material for undergraduate Medical Programs (MBBS transitioned to BMedSciMD), pharmacy, science courses and postgraduate (Public Health and Health Service Innovation (PH&HSI) Program but has also contributed significantly to integrating and enhancing technical and laboratory skills within these educational frameworks.

She completed her postdoctoral training in the US and France, including an internship with WHO in Geneva. She held a senior lecturer position in public health at Oxford Brookes University in the UK before returning to Tasmania to contribute to developing the TSOM Master of Public Health program (now Public Health and Health Service Innovation Program). This comprehensive perspective allows her to contribute effectively to public health initiatives by addressing the interconnected dynamics between social determinants and infectious diseases.

Her sustained commitment to infectious disease prevention and exploring social determinants of health has been instrumental in shaping her current position as a Senior Lecturer specialising in Public Health and Communicable Disease. Within her current role, Dr. Bettiol teaches Environmental Health and Systems Thinking in Public Health, exploring approaches to sustainable healthcare and the intersection with healthcare services, using dental public health as a foundational framework. As a balanced academic, she has supervised ten higher-degree students (PhD and Doctorate of Health) and over 20 Master of Public Health theses. She is also an award-winning teacher interested in work-integrated learning and health protection.

Dr. Bettiol actively volunteers for various committees, including recent contributions to the Medical Education Technology (MedEdTech) committee. She also serves as the postgraduate public health representative for Domain 3 Health and Society medical program (BMedSciMD). She participates in interdisciplinary teams such as One Health and the Health Sustainability Taskforce at the Department of Health and Tasmanian Healthy Environments And Lives (HEAL) Community of Practice.

Dr. Bettiol is a Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) member and a Fellow of the International Faculty of Public Health UK, the Royal Society of Public Health, and the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management. She is registered as a Public Health Practitioner Mentor for PHAA and the Council of Academic Public Health Institutions of Australia (CAPHIA). Additionally, she is an Associate Member of HERDSA.

She dedicates her time to not-for-profit organizations and charities in her local community and across Tasmania.

ACADEMIC POSITIONS

  • Senior Lecturer in Public Health and Communicable Disease
    University of Tasmania, Tasmanian School of Medicine, Hobart, Australia2018 - present
  • Graduate Research Coordinator
    University of Tasmania, Tasmanian School of Medicine, College of Health and Medicine, Hobart, Australia2019 - present
  • Lecturer in Public Health and Communicable Disease
    University of Tasmania, School of Medicine, Hobart, Australia2013 - 2017
  • Adjunct Senior Lecturer
    Edith Cowan University, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Perth, Australia2018 - 2022
  • University Visiting Research Fellow
    Oxford Brookes University, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford, United Kingdom2013 - 2016
  • Senior Lecturer in Public Health (UK & Hong Kong)
    Oxford Brookes University, Health and Social Care, Public Health, Oxford, United Kingdom2011 - 2013
  • Coordinator Medical Electives
    University of Tasmania, School of Medicine, Hobart, Australia2007 - 2010
  • Lecturer in Medical Microbiology
    University of Tasmania, Discipline of Pathology, Hobart, Australia2005 - 2010
  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow
    Inserm, Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire Institut de Recherche Hopital Necker Enfants Malades, Paris, France2004 - 2005
  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow
    Yale School of Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases,, New Haven, Connecticut, United States2001 - 2004
  • Research Assistant (SIDS Australia
    University of Tasmania, Department of Pathology, Hobart, Australia1991 - 1992

NON-ACADEMIC POSITIONS

  • Professional Officer (Microbiology)
    University of Tasmania, Discipline of Pathology, Hobart, Australia1993 - 2001
  • Laboratory Assistant
    University of Tasmania, Department of Pathology, Hobart, Australia1990 - 1991
  • WHO internship
    World Health Organization, Human Genome Programme (HGN), Geneva, SwitzerlandJan 2005 - May 2005

DEGREES

  • Masters of Public Health (Health Promotion)
    Curtin University, Perth, Australia2009
  • Graduate Certificate in University Teaching and Learning
    University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia2007
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Sciences
    University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia2000
  • PostGrad Dip Business in Professional Management
    University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia1993
  • BSc. Honours (Microbiology and Immunology)
    University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia1990
  • Bachelor of Science (Zoology and Microbiology)
    University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia1989

CERTIFICATIONS

  • Certificate of Accreditation Standard Mental Health First Aider (MHFA)
    University of Tasmania, Hobart, AustraliaMar 2024 - 2024
  • Teaching Innovation Award UTAS – The Health Protection Team
    University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia1 Dec 2023 - present
  • Teaching Merit Certificate UTAS – Health Protection Team
    University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia10 Dec 2023 - present
  • Environmental Health of Australia Team of the Year Award
    University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia11 Oct 2023 - present
    Team of the Year (Teaching) Environmental Health of Australia (Tasmania) Award
  • VC Teaching Innovation Award nomination – Health Protection Team
    University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia1 Dec 2023 - present
    Vice-Chancellor’s Awards Nomination - Teaching Innovation Award
  • Course certificate Coaching Skills for Learner-Centred Conversations
    Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom2023 - 2023
    MOOC - Online
  • Student-nominated Teaching Appreciation Certificate
    University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia1 Dec 2022 - present
  • 25 Years of Service Award
    University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia23 Nov 2020 - present
    25 Years of Service at the University of Tasmania
  • Epigeum - Supervising Doctoral Studies
    University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia2021 - 2021
    MyLO, University of Tasmania
  • Certificate Quality Matters
    University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia2017 - 2017
    Peer Reviewer Course Certificate (PRC)
  • Certificate Quality Matters
    University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia2013 - 2013
    Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR)
  • Certificate in English language teaching TEFL/TESOL
    Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom2012 - present
    Teacher Training Advanced TEFL Course
  • Cultural Capacity in Health and Social Care
    Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom2012 - 2012
    Faculty of Health and Life Sciences 4th May
  • Certificate Internationalising the Curriculum.
    Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom2011 - 2011
    Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development (OCLD)

LANGUAGES

  • Italian
    Can read, write, speak, understand and peer review
  • French
    Can read and understand

SCHOOL AND PORTFOLIO

  • Tasmanian School of Medicine

UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

  • 3 Good Health and Well Being
  • 10 Reduced Inequalities
  • 13 Climate Action
  • 17 Partnerships for the Goals

AVAILABILITY

  • Masters by research or PhD student supervision
  • MD project supervision (Tasmanian Medicine Program)
  • Collaborative projects
  • Educational Outreach
  • Media enquiries
  • Mentoring (short-term)
  • Technical support

FIELD OF RESEARCH