September 2, 2025
On Wednesday 20 August, we were proud to host “Beyond the Bite – Tackling Mosquito-Borne Diseases” in partnership with the Malaria Synergy Program, supported by a fantastic planning committee across WEHI, University of Melbourne, Deakin University, and the Burnet Institute.
The event brought together over 80 people and featured poster sessions, mosquito trivia, prizes, networking opportunities, and information about research projects for future students.
Highlights included plenary talks from:
🔹 Dr Katie Anders (Monash University), who presented her research using Wolbachia bacteria to reduce the ability of Aedes mosquitoes to transmit dengue and other vector-borne diseases.
🔹 Mr Mark Sullivan (CEO, Medicines Development for Global Health), who shared MDGH’s pioneering work on moxidectin. Already FDA-approved for treating river blindness, MDGH is advancing efforts to expand its use for lymphatic filariasis and other neglected tropical diseases, including leprosy and scabies.
We also heard from our fantastic panel of experts:
✨ Prof Paul Gilson
✨ Dr Stacey Lynch
✨ Dr Perran Ross
✨ Dr Kat Edenborough
We are also grateful to our sponsors — Burnet Institute, Chem Supply, Australian Entomological Supplies, Bug Grr Off, and Bio-Rad — for their generous support in making this event possible.
World Mosquito Day Planning Committee
- Dr Kirsty McCann, Deakin University
- Johanna Fraser, Burnet Institute
- Amaya Ortega, Burnet Institute
- Alysha Literski, Burnet Institute
- Kathy Nguyen, Menzies School of Health Research
- Katie Stanhope, Deakin University
- Albert Shi, Burnet Institute
- Senna Steen, Burnet Institute
- Sonakshi Madan, Deakin University
- Pailene Lim, WEHI
- Anju Abraham, WEHI
- Zi Kang Ooi, WEHI
- Will Clow, WEHI
- Paul Gilson, Burnet Institue
- Jessie Lu-Lee, The University of Melbourne