Dr Philayrath Phongsavan

Philayrath Phongsavan is a Professor of Public Health with expertise in behaviour change programs and evaluations. Professor Phongsavan is a researcher and educator in NCD prevention, health promotion, social determinants of health and wellbeing, and program evaluation. She has extensive experience in policy-relevant research with governments, non-health sectors, and community organisations leading NCD prevention and control. Professor Phongsavan’s research and program implementation with international agencies has provided valuable insight to the challenges and opportunities of implementing sustainable public health surveillance and prevention programs. Her work in South-East Asia and the Pacific Island Countries and Territories – Vietnam, Thailand, Fiji, Solomons Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, Nauru, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, American Samoa, and the Cook Islands – included NCD risk factor monitoring and surveillance, evaluating anti-smoking campaigns and behaviour change programs, and building the capacity of health workforces for NCD prevention and control.

Professor Phongsavan was Deputy Head of School of Public Health at the University of Sydney, Australia from 2015-2021. Professor Phongsavan is a Technical Expert and Associate Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity, and Director of the Prevention Research Collaboration, a multidisciplinary chronic disease prevention research group at the University of Sydney, focusing on evaluation, scale up and implementation research, and systems approaches to physical activity, nutrition, social health, obesity and tobacco prevention and control. Professor Phongsavan will provide a unique contribution to the TAG NCD in designing and evaluating the implementation of large-scale NCD prevention programs in the global contexts.