2 August 2023

Expanding on his experience with the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2000, Austin Health's Professor Lindsay Grayson has accepted a position as a Senior Medical Advisor at the WHO within the Infection Prevention and Control Hub and Task Force of the Integrated Health Services Division.

Prof. Grayson’s new role presents him with the responsibility of helping shape the proposed new Global Strategy on Infection Prevention and Control (GSIPC).

The GSIPC has garnered significant attention since being approved by all WHO Member States, placing it at a similar level of importance as other major health issues such as malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis. This global recognition underscores the urgency of addressing infection prevention and control as a key pillar of public health initiatives.

“The GSIPC aims to be a crucial component of all future global responses to outbreaks and pandemics,” says Professor Grayson.

“Although the various infection control interventions have been known for a long time – hand washing, masks, gloves, spatial separation of infected patients from healthy ones etcetera – the GSIPC aims to improve coordination and implementation; plus, better integrated education. That is why it was proposed (and then supported) at the World Health Assembly this year for immediate implementation.”

The GSIPC outlines several crucial areas of focus to improve infection prevention and control globally, including:

1. Prevention and surveillance of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance
2. Enhancing infection prevention and control education, performance, and collaboration with various WHO programs
3. Development of WHO guidelines for the prevention of bloodstream infections associated with intravenous catheters
4. Formulating infection prevention and control guidelines tailored to long-term care facilities.

Registrar Dr. Sam Thorburn from Austin Health’s Infectious Disease (ID) Department accompanied the former Head of the same department (Prof. Grayson), at the Geneva headquarters of the WHO in June of 2023.

Dr. Thorburn was invited to join the first meeting of the WHO Guideline Development Group (GDG) for the Prevention of Bloodstream Infections associated with peripheral catheters in Geneva, assembling approximately 30 IPC experts from around the world, including Australia and New Zealand.

Joining as both an ‘observer' and a ‘note taker’, Dr. Thorburn was required to accurately document key discussion points and issues which were then used in preparation of and contribute to the final meeting Report and draft Guideline Recommendations.

This latest invitation to the global stage places yet another feather in the cap of Professor Grayson’s career, following his appointment as a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia in 2019, appointment as Director of Hand Hygiene Australia, and alongside his cavalcade of medical achievements and experience with the WHO.

“It is always an honour to work for WHO. While many countries have extensive public health outreach programs, only WHO has access to all the world's nations, without the complications of a nation's political persuasion. So, in my mind ‘WHO is the only game in town' if one is interested in global health policy.”

“Geneva is a really lovely place to live and work. However, I wish I could speak French better!”