Dr. Devarsetty Praveen is a public health expert with deep knowledge of epidemiological research and a strong focus on using system-based innovations to tackle inequities in chronic disease care. He serves as the Director of the NIHR-funded Global Health Research Center for NCDs and Environmental Changes, as well as the Director of the Primary Health Care Research Consortium Secretariat. In these roles, he leads research efforts that are policy-relevant and aim to strengthen high-quality primary health care systems globally.

Dr. Praveen has extensive experience in designing and implementing large-scale primary care research projects, particularly using digital health strategies (e/m-health) in countries such as India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Thailand. He applies mixed-methods research and implementation science to integrate proven evidence into routine practice, improving access to quality health care.

He is the elected Co-Chair of the Hypertension Research Program within the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases, a network of major research funding agencies dedicated to addressing chronic non-communicable diseases. Dr. Praveen holds a PhD in Medicine from the School of Public Health, University of Sydney.

Dr Eden Barrett is a public health nutrition researcher, academic and dietitian with expertise in nutrition, dietetics and food policy. She is a Senior Research Fellow in the Food Policy division at The George Institute for Global Health, a Conjoint Lecturer at the University of New South Wales, and holds a co-appointment at the Food is Medicine Institute and the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, Boston.

Dr Barrett leads a global research program that uses large-scale food composition data to evaluate the nutritional quality and sustainability of the global food supply. Her work advances the development and evaluation of evidence-based tools and policies, including nutrient profiling systems and front-of-pack labelling strategies, aimed at supporting healthier diets and reducing diet-related disease risk across diverse populations.

She has presented her research at major international conferences and received significant funding and awards, including support from the National Heart Foundation of Australia. In addition to her research, Dr Barrett contributes to academic leadership through active involvement in several national and international committees. Within her institutions, she founded the CRE Human and Planetary Health Early- and Mid-Career Researcher Group at The George Institute and serves on the UNSW School of Health Sciences Research Committee.

Blake is a health economist holding positions as Program Lead – Health Workforce economics in the Centre for Health Systems Science at the George Institute for Global Health and Conjoint Senior Lecturer at UNSW Sydney. He is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow with expertise in health economic evaluation, health systems research and discrete choice experiments. Blake’s research examines the better use of economics in health policy, specifically focusing on vulnerable populations around the world. He has health policy experience having previously held positions at the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation (Senior Economist, 2013-2017) and the NSW Treasury (Policy Analyst, 2011-2013). He currently serves as an Economics expert on the Evaluation Sub-Committee of the Medical Services Advisory Committee providing economic advice on funding applications to Medicare. Blake is involved in a number of international collaborations: he worked on the core team of the Lancet Nigeria Commission and is the lead technical advisor on discrete choice experiments for the health stream of research under the Anti-Corruption Evidence Consortium funded by UK aid.