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In 2023, I started my journey with Results Australia as a Global Health Fellow. I have always been fascinated by global health, and I was looking for a program focused on enhancing my advocacy skills as part of my professional role. This fellowship not only provided a profound learning experience in advocating to decision makers and empowering communities, but also a space to create meaningful connections. Together with the other Fellows across Australia, I went on a three-days retreat in Canberra where I had the opportunity to engage in discussion with leaders in global health and advocacy, as well as to meet with some of the Members of Parliament. Each session of the retreat was fundamental in shaping the success of the entire fellowship, including the theoretical sections, roundtable discussions and face-to-face interactions with politicians. This experience not only enriched my knowledge, but also allowed me to put into practice various advocacy strategies and establish connections with diverse like-minded people. As my experience as a Results Fellow is coming to an end, I am grateful for the chance to share this journey with wonderful people with diverse backgrounds and experiences, linked by the common interest in advocacy and global health, with a particular focus on infectious diseases such as tuberculosis. I would highly recommend the Fellowship program to anyone who is passionate about global health equity and wants to make a difference using the power of advocacy and make a difference in people’s lives. Francesca Sanna is a 2023 Results Australia Global Health Fellow. She is a Postdoctoral Research Officer at Telethon Kids Institute. Holding a PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Università degli Studi di Verona.

Joining Results Australia as a Fellow in 2023 has been a really eye-opening experience for me. As a student who is currently exploring future pathways, this fellowship has enabled me to learn different skill sets, gain insight into advocacy work and learn how political decisions can transform the health and economic situation of individuals – for better or for worse. Meeting like-minded individuals who also have a passion for reducing global poverty and improving global health provided me with a space to discuss and enrich my own knowledge. I am so blessed to have been given the opportunity to meet with other Fellows from across Australia, to receive training and to meet with Members of Parliament who shared their own stories. The advocacy training provided through Results Australia empowered me to meet with my local MP and discuss the work of Results and Australia’s role in reducing global poverty with him. While I do admit that it was a nerve-wracking experience, I had the support of the Results staff team who encouraged me through the process! The meeting allowed me to translate the training I had completed in Canberra from head knowledge to tangible action and allowed me to practically train my advocacy skills. As my time at Results as a fellow comes to an end, I am excited to continuously improve on these skills and seek out further opportunities to expand my understanding of global health issues and Australia’s role in reducing them. It has been really encouraging to see the work of Results Australia translate into meaningful change that improves the wellbeing of our neighbours, especially in the space of reducing tuberculosis. My hope is that many others around me can grow a deepened empathy for those in need and seek to use their platforms, privileges and resources to advocate for those most vulnerable. Elim Tai is a 2023 Results Australia Global Health Fellow. She is a current Bachelor of Science student at the University of Melbourne and Outreach Officer for the Melbourne University Global Health Society.

The Results Global Health Fellowship was a great opportunity to experience the inside and outside game of advocacy for global health and poverty issues. The retreat especially was such a good opportunity to talk to people who have had extensive careers in the advocacy space, and also learn about crafting our story of self. After two days of in-person workshops and talks, we went into parliament house for the day, meeting the Federal Health Minister minister and the two MPs that lead the TB Caucus, discussing the importance of Results’ work and especially the fight against Tuberculosis. These experiences gave me more confidence in engaging directly with lawmakers, allowing me to feel more comfortable to reach out to my local MP on important issues. I found it easy to manage the fellowship alongside my other commitments of work and study, as whilst the fellowship did require energy and time, it wasn’t extraneously demanding. Having the monthly calls with the other fellows has allowed me to stay engaged throughout the process, both to the other fellows I was working with and to the work itself. The process felt straight forward but also adaptable to the direction that we the fellows want to take it in. I learnt a lot engaging in the consultation process. As a group designed a consultation and ran both in person and virtual workshops around the country. The results of the surveys used in the consultation process will be compiled into a report which will then be presented to and used by future advocates on up and coming issues. Overall I am really glad I was given the opportunity of the fellowship program and it is something I would recommend to anyone interested in the advocacy or global health and poverty space. I think it is so important to take advantage of opportunities whilst still at university or in the early stages of your career and this is definitely a worthwhile opportunity. Ben Anderson is a 2023 Results Australia Global Health Fellow and studying a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Economics at the Australian National University. Ben is also the 2023 president of ANU Effective Altruism.

The Global Health Fellowship was a challenging yet rewarding experience that I am very grateful for. As soon as the Fellowship started, it was brilliant to meet the other Fellows and learn about what inspires them, and what motivated them to apply for the Fellowship. At the beginning of the program, we all travelled down to Canberra for our Retreat, which was a great opportunity to meet in person, have some dedicated learning about the importance of relational advocacy, some strategies on how best to do it, and how that all ties back to global health equity and working to eradicate global poverty. We were also lucky enough to not only meet inspiring experts in global health and advocacy, but to also meet with a few MPs at Parliament House who are equally committed to ending global poverty and partner with Results Australia. As the year travelled on we designed and co-led a community consultation process with Results staff, connecting with our communities to learn about their interaction with global health advocacy, how they relate to their policymakers and MPs, and what they know about the ongoing impact and effect of global health inequities. I was lucky enough to have one Results’ board members in my consultation and we had a meaningful discussion about their history and experience across the world, and how global health inequity crosses so many borders. I would highly recommend the Fellowship to anyone who is passionate about global health equity and learning about the power of advocacy and grassroots movements. Alex Norden is a 2023 Results Australia Global Health Fellow and Master of Public Health student at the University of Sydney.

Results Australia wishes to honour the life of our extraordinary Hobart-based advocate Mike Picone who passed away on 29 August 2023, aged 72. Mike was a thoughtful, caring, and generous person - he was always willing to help - he was a humanitarian in every sense of the word. He embodied the Results belief that no matter where people are born, everyone should have equal opportunities to fulfill their potential in life. The advocacy fire was lit for Mike when he helped organise a 2007 event to fundraise for son Jeremy Olivieri (née Picone) and Sarah Taulava (née Brinckman) to attend the Results International Conference in Washington DC. Mike became a passionate advocate for Results’ global health and poverty issues - especially microfinancing; Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance; and the Global Fund. It was all for his “global children” about whom he cared so deeply. ​Mike said ​to the Results History Project, "​there are no orphans in the world – they’re all my children​".​ Almost every Tasmanian Federal Parliamentarian who served during Mike’s time with Results was a target of his prolific letter-writing and regular meeting requests. Those who knew him personally respected his warmth, his integrity, and his gentle determination. Mike’s fundraising abilities - including 9 quiz nights and 3 dinner dances - were legendary. He certainly put the fun into fundraising. But Mike was proudest of the young people who rose to the surface in the Hobart group – all committed to making a difference. More recently, his World TB Day Light Up Red events - including a local history tour of a former TB Sanatorium, and another in the pouring rain - were examples of his dedication. In recognition of his efforts over many years, Mike received the inaugural Results Long Standing Volunteer Award in 2019 for his persistent and thoughtful advocacy. It was perhaps only fitting that Mike was laid to rest on the International Day of Charity - 5 September - which commemorates the passing of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Mike was a much-loved partner, father, grandfather, friend, and active member of his local community. He will be sorely missed by everyone whose life he touched, but we are so grateful that he found time to help generate the public and political will to end extreme poverty and help make the world a better place. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.

Tonight, Friday 24 March, the National Carillon and Questacon will light up red to honour World Tuberculosis (TB) Day. World TB Day is recognised by lighting up buildings around the world red, to show solidarity and remember the millions that lose their lives to TB each year. TB is a leading cause of death worldwide, with 1.6 million people dying of the disease in 2021. It was the world’s number-one infectious disease killer prior to COVID-19, and progress fighting the disease has been adversely affected by the pandemic. TB is preventable and curable, with treatment saving 74 million lives since 2000. However, global funding is short of what is required to meet the targets to end TB. Australia has already made a number of investments to prevent and treat TB, having committed $266 million to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria last year. In 2018, members of the United Nations, including Australia, came together to hold the first High-Level Meeting on TB and committed to end TB by 2030. In September this year, the world will come together again to review progress. “Tuberculosis is a prolific infectious disease that devastates the most vulnerable, including in our own backyard. Just this month, a TB outbreak was reported in the APY Lands. Our neighbour PNG sees thousands of people die annually,” said Results International (Australia) CEO, Negaya Chorley. “The progress we were making in reducing TB cases and deaths over the years has been derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, as TB infections have gone undetected and unmanaged. Now, for the first time in more than a decade, TB deaths are on the rise. “The same global concerted momentum to tackle COVID-19 must be applied to ending TB,” said Ms Chorley. “Australia must play a greater role in ending TB. Given the Asia Pacific region is home to the majority of TB cases, and the cutting-edge scientific research that takes place in universities and institutes across the country, we are well placed to lead the charge in addressing TB.”

On World TB Day 2023, Burnet Institute Director and CEO Professor Brendan Crabb AC and Results Australia CEO Negaya Chorley draw on lessons from the global COVID-19 response and how they could be applied to defeat tuberculosis in this editorial for The Canberra Times, reproduced here with permission. While the response to the COVID-19 pandemic was in some ways miraculous, the disruption to other healthcare services was immense, and it especially derailed global progress in combating tuberculosis. Infections have gone undetected and unmanaged. As a result, for the first time in more than a decade, tuberculosis deaths are rising. Some 1.6 million people died from tuberculosis in 2021 and it’s now claiming 4,300 lives a day, including the lives of 600 children. So why aren’t we all worried? Possibly because tuberculosis disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, including in Australia. In early March this year, health authorities declared a tuberculosis outbreak in the APY Lands, after 10 cases were diagnosed. While tuberculosis infection rates in Australia are among the lowest in the world, incidence is several times higher for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders compared to our non-Indigenous population. Modelling suggests tuberculosis pre-elimination in the Top End likely won’t be reached until about 2066. Our closest neighbour, Papua New Guinea, is also a tuberculosis hotspot. The WHO estimates 42,000 people in Papua New Guinea contracted tuberculosis in 2021. More than 5,400 people died. Like COVID-19, tuberculosis' deadliness cannot be stopped without a new vaccine. Yet the only tuberculosis vaccine we have is more than a century old. The BCG vaccine protects infants and young children more effectively than adolescents and adults. That’s a problem given that adults account for the bulk of the disease burden. Investment in tuberculosis vaccine research has stagnated since 2019. The gap between what’s needed and what’s available is significant. Just US$120 million was spent on tuberculosis vaccine research and development in 2021 - a small fraction of the global spend on COVID-19 vaccines, and well short of the Global Plan to End tuberculosis' annual target of US$1.25 billion. Investing in vaccines is not just the right thing to do, it also makes good economic sense. The WHO estimates every US$1 invested in vaccine interventions will return US$7 in health and economic benefits over 25 years. But vaccines alone won’t solve the problem. We need a comprehensive approach to tuberculosis that sees us using all the tools at our disposal. We need to scale up existing and new treatments, roll out widespread screening in high burden countries, and ensure people with active tuberculosis infection have rapid access to treatment. So what can Australia do? COVID-19 has shown us what’s possible when the world comes together to tackle a shared problem - and when it comes to tackling tuberculosis, it’s crunch time. In September this year, political leaders will gather in New York for the UN High-Level Meeting on tuberculosis. Given Australia’s proximity to countries heavily impacted by tuberculosis, and the cutting-edge tuberculosis research that takes place in universities and research institutions across Australia, we are uniquely positioned to play a lead role. Australia can and must encourage world leaders to set ambitious targets for tuberculosis elimination and back the targets up with proportionate financing for research and development and tuberculosis vaccines, screening, treatment and programs. If financing stays at current levels, the Global Plan to End tuberculosis 2023-30 estimates that over the next eight years an additional 6.6 million people will die from tuberculosis and $US1 trillion will be wiped off the global economy. We learned many lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. A key one was an acute reminder of the breakthrough power of science to solve seemingly impossible problems - a vaccine in a year was previously unthinkable for example. This way of thinking and approach needs to be applied to scourges that have dogged humanity for centuries, and top of that list is tuberculosis. We can defeat tuberculosis, but we need the will to do it. Click here to read the original article in The Canberra Times.

Results CEO Negaya Chorley speaks with ABC News Radio on World TB Day. Click here to listen to the recording.

Results' CEO Negaya Chorley speaks on ABC Pacific Beat on World TB Day. Click here to listen to the recording.

While COVID-19 has understandably dominated global headlines for the past few years, health experts are worried that other diseases have fallen off the radar. For the first time in more than a decade tuberculosis deaths are rising with outbreaks seen in South Australia's APY lands and Papua New Guinea. The CEO of Results International Australia, Negaya Chorley, tells The World TB was the leading fatal infectious disease in the world before 2020.

Screening and checks to contain an outbreak of tuberculosis cases on South Australia's Indigenous lands are continuing amid new calls for extra funding to eliminate the disease by 2030. Earlier this month SA Health reported 10 confirmed TB cases in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands, prompting an immediate response with wider community checks and general screening. About 50 people have reportedly gone through that process so far. Senior health officials also visited the area with the state's Aboriginal Public Health team leading the engagement in impacted communities including those at Pukatja, Amata and Pipalyatjara. The response included contact tracing and active case finding to treat and contain the outbreak. Health and education advocacy group Results International pointed to the cases on the APY lands as it marked World Tuberculosis Day on Friday with calls for a new vaccine by 2025 as part of efforts to eliminate the disease by the end of the decade. "The progress we were making in reducing TB cases and deaths over the years has been derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, as TB infections have gone undetected and unmanaged," chief executive Negaya Chorley said. "Now, for the first time in more than a decade, TB deaths are on the rise. "TB could soon reclaim the title of the leading cause of death worldwide from a single infectious agent yet the disease is entirely preventable and curable." Ms Chorley said the same concerted global momentum harnessed to tackle COVID-19 needed to be applied to ending TB. "We need to use all the tools in the toolbox including scaling up prevention, treatment and cure," she said. Ms Chorley said the current TB vaccine was more than a century old and a new and effective version would save millions of lives. "If COVID has taught us anything, it's that we have the scientific capability and know how to tackle infectious diseases including TB," she said. "We just need the will. "We are calling on the Australian government to encourage world leaders to set ambitious targets to eliminate TB and back it up with adequate financing." About the same time as the outbreak on the APY lands, SA's Deputy State Coroner Ian White reported on the deaths of a young girl and a woman from TB infections. Monineath Chum, 9, died in hospital in February 2017 after being ill for several months, while 29-year-old Rehema Shariff Kangethe was found dead in her bed at home in 2018. In both cases, Mr White raised concerns about how they were monitored and followed up on in the period leading up to their deaths. Click here to read the original article in The Canberra Times.

The Global Fund is a worldwide movement to defeat HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria and is a cause that is very close to my heart. TB is the second mostly deadly infectious disease after COVID-19, causing 1.6 million deaths in 2021. In Indonesia, Australia’s neighbouring country, TB is still very prevalent. Indonesia has the second highest burden of TB in the world. Being a healthcare practitioner in Indonesia, I have seen firsthand how living conditions, lack of awareness and poor access to healthcare can contribute to this disease thriving in the community. After experiencing this – I am determined to be involved in the efforts to minimise the burden of TB in developing countries. I was introduced to Results Australia during my post graduate studies in Australia – and when I knew that Results Australia is a volunteer-driven organisation, it only took me 2 minutes to decide that I want to be involved! Being involved in meetings with MPs and raising awareness for the Global Fund through social media has really made me felt like I have a voice in addressing this issue and making tangible change. The Global Fund has saved 50 million lives – and will save millions more with funds raised for its Seventh Replenishment. Australia will contribute to fighting TB with the pledge of AU$266 million it made to the Global Fund. If you would like to find out more about The Global Fund, and ways you can support and raise awareness to this cause – please visit The Global Fund’s website and Results Australia’s campaign to help eradicate and raise awareness on Tuberculosis. Links included: https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/ https://www.results.org.au/tuberculosis