Vector Volume 11 Issue 2 - 2017

about its devastating mental health effects. I could not
believe that this was happening in our country and that
our government was knowingly subjecting vulnerable
people to institutionalised torture. After a small period of
feeling hopeless, I began to get angry. It was this seed of
anger that has fuelled my passion for health inequalities
more broadly since then and I think this is a reason why I
am up here today.
But it is not enough to be
inspired. There is too much
to be done. We do not have
the luxury of apathy and you
cannot afford to waste time
thinking that you are too small
to make a difference.
However, if you had told me then that four years from
now, I would have been able to learn about global health
research with the George Institute in Oxford, I would have
been fortunate enough to spend 6 weeks being inspired
by global health babe, Sandro Demaio at the WHO in
Geneva, and that I would eventually publish an article with
Julian Burnside in the Lancet calling for immediate action
on refugee and asylum seeker health, I would not have
believed you. But it all started at GHC.
have the luxury of apathy and you cannot afford to waste
time thinking that you are too small to make a difference.
I encourage all of you to leave here and be productive
with the seed of inspiration that has been planted this
week. Continue to challenge yourself to make change and
always foster inquisitiveness and love of global health.
Ensure that you it, watch it grow and share its fruit with
those around you. This might be something as simple as
starting a conversation with someone using some of the
knowledge you gained, it could be putting pen to paper
and recording your ideas to share with others, it could be
joining a local advocacy group doing great work that you
are passionate about in your community, or it could be
joining an organisation like AMSA Global Health.
Start where you are, use what you have and do what
you can.
Photo credit
Karl Asmussen, Vienna Tran
Correspondance
liz.bennett@amsa.org.au
And so I would to thank Holly and her amazing team
for this fantastic event. Since that first GHC in Hobart,
this conference has gone from strength to strength and it
would not be possible without individuals like you.
This conference has given us the ability to challenge
ourselves in many different areas. We have been
provided with an opportunity to realise our strengths, as
well as our faults and imperfections. But it is not enough
to be inspired. There is too much to be done. We do not
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