Professor Paul Arbon

Professor Paul Arbon AM – BSc, Dip Ed, Grad Dip Health Ed, MEd Studies, PhD (Sydney) is a Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor, experienced researcher and leader in health emergencies and health system strengthening. Currently he is the Director of the Torrens Resilience Initiative (Research Centre) and the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre (WHOCC) for Mass Gatherings and Global Health Security in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia. These Centres focus on building resilience and strengthening health systems for disruptive challenges, including for novel and emerging threats.  

Professor Arbon is a Member of the WHO Health-Security Interface Technical Advisory Group (HSI-TAG), a Member of the Roster of Experts for the International Health Regulations, and Adjunct Professor, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Science, James Cook University, Queensland, Australia.  

Professor Arbon’s research career has been strengthened by senior management experience, both in clinical services, including as Chief Commissioner of St John Ambulance Australia, and in research services, including as Professor and Head of the Research Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Practice (RCNMP) at the Canberra Hospital and across tenured positions at the University of South Australia, University of Canberra, and Flinders University.  

He is past President of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine, Member of the Editorial Board of Pre-Hospital and Disaster Medicine, Fellow of the Australian College of Nursing (FACN) and Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN). His research has focussed on population level and front-line responses to threats to health including for mass gathering events, deliberate or ambiguous events – chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) - and mis- dis-information.