2008 International Society for Urban Health Board Elections

Candidate for Member at Large

Anthony Capon, Ph.D., MBBS,

As a public health physician, and former director of public health in western Sydney (1991–2006), I am acutely aware of the wide-ranging implications of urban environments for health. Now, my work is largely focused on healthy urbanization and sustainability. I am leading an international initiative to address environmental determinants of chronic disease, for the Oxford Health Alliance (www.oxha.org).

I am a passionate advocate for the International Society for Urban Health (ISUH) and presented at its conferences in New York and Boston – and was honored to join the scientific advisory committee for the Boston conference. My research interests are at the nexus between urban health and sustainability. In 2006, I co-convened the Australian Academy of Science’s Fenner Conference on urbanism, environment and health. I work closely with the land development and infrastructure sectors in Australia, and regularly testify at the Australian House of Representatives. I have concurrent appointments with the University of Sydney, Australian National University, Macquarie University and Australia’s national science agency (CSIRO). I am a life member of Nature and Society Forum, a community organization with the theme of healthy people on a healthy planet.

I am New Zealand Maori (Ngaitahu tribe) and live in Sydney, Australia. I graduated in medicine at the University of Queensland (1983), completed my PhD at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (1989) and post-doctoral studies at the Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin. I have held National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia) and World Health Organization Fellowships.

I have two ambitions if elected Member-at-Large; firstly, to attract ISUH members to the potential of collaboration with colleagues interested in sustainable cities (this is timely because of rising awareness and concern internationally about environmental change, including climate change) and secondly, to strengthen ISUH participation in the Asia-Pacific region.

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