Asbestos in Australia Today: Risk, Research, and Future of Care
Details
Speakers:
- Dr Rick van der Zwan, Director, Research, Evaluation and Data, Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency (ASSEA)
- Dr Zeyad Al-Ogaili, Consultant Radiologist and Nuclear Medicine Physician, Fiona Stanley Hospital / Royal Perth Hospital, and PhD Candidate, UWA
- Dr Alistair Cook, Research Fellow, National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases (NCARD)
Title: “Asbestos in Australia Today: Risk, Research, and Future of Care”
Date: Tuesday, 1 September 2026
Time: 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm (networking and refreshments to follow, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm)
Location: Room G24, Harry Perkins Institute Building, QEII Health Campus, 6 Verdun St, Nedlands WA 6009. This event will also be livestreamed via Microsoft Teams for those unable to attend in person.
About the speakers:
Dr Rick van der Zwan is Director, Research, Evaluation and Data at the Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency (ASSEA), where he leads programs strengthening the evidence base supporting Australia’s asbestos safety and eradication efforts, overseeing research, data analysis, evaluation and knowledge translation to inform policy and stakeholder engagement. He previously worked as a lab-based behavioural neuroscientist and has spent more than 20 years with the ABC unpacking what it means to be human in a fast-changing world. His presentation, “A Matter of Life and Dust: How Asbestos Stories Can Help Us Save 28,000 Lives,” explores how storytelling can drive awareness and prevention.
Dr Zeyad Al-Ogaili is a dual-trained Consultant Radiologist and Nuclear Medicine Physician at Fiona Stanley Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital, and a PhD Candidate at UWA. His research focuses on theranostics, molecular imaging and translational oncology, including radioligand therapy optimisation and FAP-targeted imaging. He established the first dedicated Nuclear Medicine Clinical Trials Unit at Fiona Stanley Hospital and leads a portfolio of trials spanning prostate cancer theranostics, mesothelioma and advanced solid tumours. His presentation, “Beyond the Scan: How Molecular Imaging Is Changing Mesothelioma Care,” will cover how imaging advances are reshaping diagnosis and treatment.
Dr Alistair Cook joined NCARD at UWA in 2011 following his PhD in stem cell biology at the University of Edinburgh. His research aims to improve treatment outcomes for people with mesothelioma by exploring the interaction between cancer and the immune system, spanning laboratory research and clinical trials with an emphasis on medical imaging and novel radiotherapy techniques. His presentation, “New Hope, New Approaches: Advances in Mesothelioma Research,” will give an overview of NCARD’s current research.
Dr Tracy Hoang, Postdoctoral Research Scientist at NCARD, will convene this event.
Please join us if you’re available.