Tassie's Health Puzzle

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Overview  The health of our state will be under the microscope at the upcoming Research Week Connect North public forum, where a panel of experts from around Australia will discuss: “What will it take for Tasmania to have Australia's healthiest population by 2025?” Tasmanians currently experience some of the worst population health outcomes in the country, with high rates of chronic disease and health risk factors like smoking, obesity, poor nutrition, low physical activity levels and risky alcohol consumption. Inspired by the Government’s Healthy Tasmania plan and the goal to make Tasmania the healthiest population in Australia by 2025, this public panel will be chaired by Dr Norman Swan (producer and presenter of Radio National’s Health Report.)   Team  Associate Professor Angela Martin, Associate Dean Research, Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, is an expert in workplace mental health and will speak at the forum. She has been involved in setting up a multidisciplinary network of researchers keen to undertake research in this area and guide it toward real-world application - see the Work, Health and Well-being Network. "One of the areas that our network has been studying is what managers need to know about mental health and how these issues affect organisations and employees. It's not all about negativity and stress – we're looking at the role of positive factors and how these protect and promote mental health as well.” Associate Professor Martin said there are “strong links” between employment and health. “I would like to see greater understanding of these issues by those leading industry and government.  Mental health is a critical piece of the health puzzle that needs to be addressed, including its ‘invisibility’ and stigmatised status. “My role in TSBE allows me to translate psychological research into management education and practice. It's very satisfying to contribute to contemporary conversations in society about work and well-being,” she said. “The health and vitality of the health workforce needs to be prioritised to foster innovation in the delivery of health services to the population.  Future  This event will be hosted by Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Brigid Heywood and chaired by Dr Norman Swan, Producer and presenter of Radio National’s Health Report.