HEALTHIER FOOD RETAIL
Professor Anna Peeters AM, PhD
Chief Executive Officer, VicHealth, Victoria, Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Melbourne, Australia | July 2026
Professor Anna Peeters AM is a globally recognised public health leader whose career has spanned academia, policy and health system reform, with a strong focus on prevention and health equity. She is the CEO of VicHealth, bringing decades of experience in epidemiology, population health and evidence-based health promotion.
Prior to her appointment as CEO, Professor Peeters was Director of the Institute for Health Transformation at Deakin University and a Professor of Epidemiology and Equity in Public Health. In this role, she led multidisciplinary research addressing major health challenges including obesity, chronic disease, health system sustainability and health outcome inequities. She has also held leadership roles at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and the Australia and New Zealand Obesity Society and has contributed to national and international advisory bodies.
Professor Peeters is widely recognised for her research into obesity prevention, food systems and the social determinants of health. She established the world-first RE-FRESH Centre of Research Excellence in healthier food retail environments, advancing practical solutions to improve population diets and reduce health inequities. Her work has consistently focused on translating evidence into policy and real-world impact at scale.
A Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and a Member of the Order of Australia, Professor Peeters continues to shape prevention systems through a strong emphasis on equity and collaboration.
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Mental wellbeing in rural and regional communities dealing with environmental challenges
Associate Professor Suzie Cosh is a psychologist and clinical researcher. Her work focuses on the intersection of climate change and mental health and she currently leads a body of work that focuses on supporting small rural communities to recover from and prepare for extreme weather events such as bushfires, floods and droughts.
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Exercise program for the prevention of osteoporotic fracture
Dr Beck is an international leader in the effects of mechanical loading on bone health. Dr Beck graduated from The University of Queensland (BHMS[Ed]) and the University of Oregon (MSc and PhD) and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in the Stanford University School of Medicine (California, USA.) She is a Professor of Exercise Science at Griffith University Gold Coast campus, where she has led the Bone Densitometry Research Laboratory since 2004.
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Identification, characterisation and role of leader cells in ovarian cancer progression
Dr. Maree Bilandzic is a molecular cancer biologist dedicated to advancing the understanding and treatment of ovarian cancer (OC). Her research addresses critical gaps in OC treatment by investigating the mechanisms behind metastasis, chemotherapy resistance, and tumour recurrence. By utilising innovative methodologies and disease-representative models, Dr. Bilandzic has pioneered the identification and characterisation of leader cells (LCs)—a unique, stem-like subpopulation within tumours that plays a crucial role in OC progression.
