LiverWELL

Dr Marno Ryan is a Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist with a special interest in fatty liver disease which is fast becoming a serious health issue not only in Australia but throughout the world. She says that despite 30% of the population in Australia having the disease, not everyone will go on to develop more serious liver issues such as non-alcoholic steato-hepatitis (NASH). But for those who d...

What is the LiverWELL Reveal program? Hepatitis Victoria/LiverWELL Health Promotions Programs Manager Martin Forrest explains in a short podcast interview. www.hepvic.org.au/reveal If you are living with a chronic liver disease, who do you turn to in the community for help and support? Up to 40% of Australians are living with fatty liver disease and many of these people will develop more serious c...

Dr Alex Hodge is a gastroenterologist and expert in chronic liver disease. He has a special interest in obesity and the many ways to combat it. 'I look at what fat can do inside the liver and what fat means for the patient outside the liver," he says. "Inside it can eventually cause fibrosis and cirrhosis, outside its a risk factor for developing diabetes." Dr Hodge also talks about the health ben...

Hepatitis Victoria/LiverWELL CEO Melanie Eagle was interviewed on ABC's Nightlife national radio program on 8 January. She talks about the hepatitis C cure and why thousands of Australians are still not taking up the option.

This podcast was first published on Pursuit. Read the original article. https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/podcasts/exposing-the-hepatitis-b-virus Researchers Professor Peter Revill and Dr Thomas Tu are on front line of global efforts to find a cure; helped by Dr Tu developing a new method to better detect the virus’ ‘master blueprint’.

Amanda Li Hromin works as a community advocate supporting health promotion, community engagement, education programs and community awareness campaigns for the Victorian Chinese community in relation to viral hepatitis B and C prevention and related liver cancer prevention. She was nominated by Hepatitis Victoria for the Council on the Ageing Senior Achiever Award 2019, for which she was the deserv...

Lewis Stieven-Taylor is a La Trobe University student studying for a Bachelor of Health Science majoring in rehabilitation counselling. As part of his course, he is required to complete 80-120 hours of a work placement as an intern which he completed at Hepatitis Victoria focused on health promotion. Lewis says his internship exceeded his expectations in many ways. “For anyone with an interest in...

Sidney Vo is appealing a Federal Government decision, based on her hepatitis B status, that means she and her 12-year-old son Billy have to leave Australia by the end of the month. Her case has been widely publicised and by mid-September an online petition of support had received over 22,000 signatures. Sidney’s experience has galvanised her to speak out. She signed up to become a Hepatitis Victor...

Health Promotion Project Officer, Isabelle Purcell was interviewed on 3CR Community Radio about the positive changes in migration rules for people living with viral hepatitis who want to apply for permanent residency in Australia. She talks about what the changes mean and why they are an important change for anyone with a chronic condition.

Margaret Littlejohn is a medical scientist at the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, where she does research and diagnostic work into the hepatitis B virus. Together with Associate Professor Steven Tong of the University of Melbourne and other colleagues, she recently published a fascinating paper entitled 'What hepatitis B tells us about the migration of ancient humans'. The vira...

Kai Wen Cheong is a studying for his Master's in Social Work at the University of Melbourne and for the last three months he has been a Hepatitis Victoria intern. In a short interview he speaks about his experience and what he has learnt. "I feel blessed as I am literally enjoying every minute at Hepatitis Victoria... we are doing something really good for the community." Kai's internship has prov...

Every year the 28th July is World Hepatitis Day, when we remind ourselves that this preventable disease kills more than a million people globally every year, yet it can be managed and cured with more awareness, support and funding. Even in Victoria over 70,000 people are unaware they are living with viral hepatitis. On 25 July Hepatitis Victoria CEO Melanie Eagle spoke on ABC Radio's Overnight pro...

Helen Tran is a Hepatitis Victoria Project Officer working to raise awareness about hepatitis B in Victoria's Vietnamese community and encourage people to get blood tests, vaccinations and timely treatment. "Liver cancer is very prevalent among Australian-Vietnamese and hepatitis is one of the main reasons," she says. Helen has been speaking to groups such as the Vietnamese Arthritis Association,...

The Doherty Institute’s viral hepatitis National Mapping Report 2017 was published in April, providing an Australia-wide snapshot of prevalence, treatment and progress for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and for liver cancer. We talk to the author, Jennifer MacLachlan, Epidemiologist at the Doherty Institute who says the report reveals some surprises, but first explains the decision to combine what were...

Melanie Eagle was interviewed on World Liver Day on the launch of Eating Well: A LiverWELL™ Lifestyle Guide by Chris Isley on Perth radio station 6PR. Melanie explains what's in the Guide and why it is an urgently needed resource.

On 19 April, World Liver Day, Melanie Eagle was interviewed by presenter Chris Smith from radio 2GB in Sydney about the launch of Eating Well: A LiverWELL™ Guide. Melanie explains the kind of recipes are in the book, as well as the hints and tips for good liver health. She talks about why it is so important to look after your liver especially as an estimated 6 million Australians have the beginnin...

Will Scott has worked as both a volunteer and staff member at Hepatitis Victoria. In this short interview he reflects on what he has learnt and gained from working for a dynamic and fast-paced non-for-profit. He also talks about his own personal experience of overcoming viral hepatitis, and gives advice for those thinking of volunteering or working for the organisation.

Priscilla is a nutritionist and Kessavee head chef at the Merri Cafe, an organic restaurant using fresh, local ingredients. Priscilla and Kessavee have collaborated creating simple and delicious recipes for Eating Well: A Guide for Better Liver Health. This short podcast interview was made during the testing and sampling of several recipes at the Merri Cafe. The Eating Well Guide is free and will...

Ross Williams is a Hepatitis Victoria Board member, HEP Hero and a HEPSpeaker. On 7 March, he spoke passionately about his lived experience of hepatitis C during the Brimbank HEPReady forum. In a short interview, Ross talks about what lived experience speakers can add to an event and why 'self-stigma' is so damaging and difficult to overcome. In the final analysis, "..it's your life, and being anx...

Cr Lucinda Congreve is the Mayor of Brimbank, one of the most culturally diverse areas of Victoria. She opened the HEPReady Forum in Brimbank on Thursday 7 March. In this short podcast, Cr Congreve talks about the multiple health challenges in Brimbank and what her Council is doing in response. "We have a new health and wellbeing centre in St Albans with a whole range of wrap-around services for t...

Andree tells us, when her doctor had written ‘HEP C POSITIVE’ on a pathology slip, which she unknowingly carried in her bag for some time. Upon realising, Andre stated she was shocked and explains about the negative repercussions this unwanted disclosure could’ve had on her, or anyone else in a similar situation. She talks about the lack of education on these matters that is still evident in the h...

Jules Cassidy has been an advocate for viral hepatitis, harm reduction, and mental health for decades. She lived with hepatitis C from as early as the 1980’s, and was cured just a few years ago. Jules reflects on how hepatitis C and the stigma that sometimes came with it added to the many complexities of her life.

"You could stand in a bucket of infected blood and still not catch the infection...as long as you don't have any cuts on your feet." That's one of the little anecdotes Steven Taylor uses to illustrate how viral hepatitis can only be passed from one person to another through infected blood. Steven has worked at Hepatitis Victoria as a volunteer, performer and now Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Workf...

Neylan Aykut is a health promotion officer at Hepatitis Victoria whose job mainly involves working in Victoria's prisons combatting viral hepatitis. Neylan talks about the challenges of working in custodial settings, and some of the surprising -and inspiring- things she has learnt. "I really enjoy working in prisons," she says. "People inside respond very well to being spoken to with respect, they...

Judith Gorst works at the Prahran Market Clinic as a Practice Nurse and Counsellor. She is in daily contact with people who have been affected by HIV and hepatitis C. In her Stigma Story, Judith unpacks the difficulties that stigma adds to an already complex situation for many of her patients who are living with a blood borne virus. Judith talks about the stress and uncertainty her patients often...