As Flinders University celebrates 30 years of teaching Environmental Health in 2024, we spoke to graduate Dr Christopher Lease PSM (BAppSc(EnvHlth) ’95, BSc(Hons) ’96, PhD(Biol) ’06) about his journey into the field and the role Flinders played in getting her career to this point.
What is your current role and responsibility?
Executive Director, Health Protection and Regulation at SA Health.
Have you always had an interest in Environmental Health? If so, what sparked your interest and/or was there a turning point?
I’ve always had an interest in human disease and the factors that contribute to it, particularly the environmental ones. When I say the environmental factors, I mean environmental in its broadest sense which includes the social and economic influences, not just our living environments. It’s fundamental to human health and so important.
Is there any experience from your time at Flinders that has had a lasting impact on you professionally or personally?
Meeting my wife at Flinders has been the biggest and best impact! Apart from that, being part of the first cohort through the Environmental Health Bachelor’s Degree (as it was then) I made many
close connections both with the teaching staff and my fellow students as we collectively helped build the foundations of the degree and build on the profession here in SA as well as across Australia.
What are your thoughts on the future trajectory of Environmental Health 30 years from now?
It will only become more important as we are in an era of increasing emergencies and environmental impacts on health. We need more people with a wide range of environmental health skills and knowledge to help us as a society adapt and meet these future challenges.
What advice do you have for your younger self, or for students beginning their career in Environmental Health?
Take every opportunity you can and back yourself. There are so many pathways you can take in environmental health and one of the most important ones is environmental health leadership in Australia and across the world.