Dr Andrew van den Hurk is an entomologist and arbovirologist within the Queensland Department of Health and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Queensland. He has studied mosquito-borne pathogens for 30 years and during this time has played a leading role in investigating the most important mosquito-related events in Australia and the Pacific. Some of these events include the emergence of Japanese encephalitis virus in Australia in the 1990s and 2022, significant outbreaks of dengue (in 2008-09) and Ross River viruses (in 2015), and the establishment of Aedes albopictus in northern Australia after it was discovered in the Torres Strait in 2005. He has also been involved in the development of new strategies for the surveillance and control of mosquitoes and the viruses they transmit, such as deployment of Wolbachia for arbovirus control, systems to expedite exotic mosquito surveillance and sugar-based arbovirus detection strategies. The outcomes of Dr van den Hurk’s work have formed the basis of almost 140 original research articles, invited reviews and book chapters and are instrumental in guiding the fight against mosquito-borne diseases.

Dr. David Hoel was born and raised in Columbia, S.C., attended high school in Oklahoma and served 3 years in the Army as an ammunition specialist. Afterwards, David attended Texas A&M University, graduating in 1986 with a B.S. in entomology and later with an M.S. in 1993 with a specialization in mosquito biology. In 1994 he received a commission as a Medical Service Corps Officer in the U.S. Navy, serving as a Medical Entomologist from 1994 to 2017. He deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and served for 2 years as an entomology researcher and department head of the Vector Biology Research Program at the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center #3 in Cairo, Egypt. He completed a PhD at the University of Florida in 2005 studying the bionomics of Aedes albopictus while on active duty. Other Naval assignments included assistant professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Navy researcher and liaison officer with the CDC (Atlanta) and also in the same capacity with the USDA’s Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology in Gainesville, FL. While working with the CDC, David served as the county entomologist for the President’s Malaria Initiative in Uganda, Nigeria and Liberia.

Immediately after retiring from the Navy, David accepted an Assistant Director position at the Lee County Mosquito Control District. Upon the Director’s retirement in December 2018, David interviewed for and was hired, serving as the 4th Director of LCMCD since its inception in 1958.

David’s research interests include the bionomics of mosquitoes, mosquito trap modification and development with light and attractants for increased efficacy, insecticide resistance in mosquitoes, and mosquito control technology.

Professor John S Mackenzie is an Emeritus Professor of Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia, and is currently a part-time Senior Research Scientist at PathWest, Perth, and an Honorary Professor in the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences at the University of Queensland. His research interests have been in mosquito-borne virus diseases and emerging zoonotic viruses, and most recently, in defining and developing the One Health paradigm. He has received various honours and awards, including election as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, as a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, as the inaugural recipient of the Mahathir Science Award for Scientific Excellence by the Malaysian Academy of Science, and as a Distinguished International Fellow of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. He has served as a member of the National Arbovirus and Malaria Advisory Committee since its inception. He has worked extensively with WHO, and particularly with the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network and the Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Infectious Diseases, and is a member of the Roster of Experts of the International Health Regulations. He chaired the WHO International Health Regulations Emergency Committee for Pandemic H1N1 influenza and is currently a member of the Emergency Committees on Poliovirus, and on Covid. He is also a member of the recently established Quadripartite (FAO, UNEP, WHO, WOAH) One Health High Level Expert Panel.

Kirsty Richards is a veterinarian with the SunPork Group, Australia’s largest pig farming integrator. Kirsty obtained her Bachelor’s veterinary science degree from the University of Queensland and a Masters degree in Veterinary Public Health Management from the University of Sydney. In 2022 Kirsty performed an industry and technical liaison role in the Australian JEV response.