Associate ProfessorAaron Jenkins

Nested Programs

• SAPPHIRE- The SAPPHIRE Program (Sydney Asia-Pacific Partnerships for Health Innovations and Resilient Ecosystems) aims to enhance public health systems across the Asia-Pacific region, focusing on Vietnam, Fiji, Cambodia, and Kiribati. The program's vision is to be a trusted partner in developing resilient and equitable health systems, capable of adapting to the region's evolving health needs. Through research and practical actions, SAPPHIRE seeks to integrate One/Planetary Health approaches, enhance disease detection and prevention, and strengthen institutional health response capacities by mid-2027.
• Pacific Partnership for Planetary Health- The Pacific Partnership for Planetary Health is designed to address public health challenges in the Pacific region through community-based, integrative approaches that leverage traditional knowledge and modern science. The program operates across Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands, focusing on enhancing watershed health, improving water quality, and integrating ecological and health data into policy processes. Its comprehensive strategy involves empowering local communities and organizations, optimizing data systems, and facilitating policy integration to promote sustainable health and environmental stewardship in the region.
• WISH- Watershed Interventions for Systems Health - (a component of SAPPHIRE and the Kiwa Initiative), focuses on delivering co-benefits for climate resilience, biodiversity, health, and well-being through nature-based solutions in Melanesian watersheds. Its goal is to implement integrated watershed management in Fiji, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea, improving both natural and built water and sanitation infrastructure while addressing multiple sustainable development goals. This program is serving as a model for managing systems health in the Pacific, employing strategic financing, decision-support tools, and knowledge sharing to replicate success across the region.
• Pacific Bioscapes- in the Solomon Islands, particularly within the Central Islands Province, focuses on integrating island and ocean management to enhance biodiversity, livelihoods, and well-being. This European Union-funded initiative, led by the Wildlife Conservation Society Solomon Islands under the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, emphasizes marine spatial planning, marine conservation, and holistic watershed management. The program involves extensive community engagement for water and sanitation safety planning, prioritizing nature-based solutions, and WASH interventions to promote sustainable environmental and health outcomes through 2026.