Doing the right thing for those left by war
As a former paramedic, Dr Stacey Pizzino has witnessed disasters, mass casualties and vulnerable communities, but it is not these memories that have etched the deepest imprints on her life. Rather, it is the devastation caused by armed conflicts and the humanitarian complexities that follow war.
Dr Pizzino recently completed her PhD with the UQ School of Public Health, where she collated and analysed the world’s largest study of casualties caused by landmines and other explosive remnants of war.
She also examined the cause of mortality and injury among this group.
Dr Pizzino explored data from more than 100,000 casualties in 17 countries, including Afghanistan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Angola and Ukraine.
One of the key findings from her research shows that around 4 in 10 people injured by weapons die from their injuries.
“Explosive devices, like landmines, grenades, missiles and mortar shells, are always left on the ground after war, and they entrench communities in poverty,” Dr Pizzino explains.
“They cause horrific injuries to survivors, place financial burdens on families and reduce access to agricultural land, which leads to food insecurity and limits livelihood.
“Weapons can also remain live in the environment long after war is over, which puts children born in the future at risk of dying from explosives dropped during conflict today.”
Dr Pizzino with her husband and son
Dr Pizzino with her husband and son
Sadly, the number of armed conflicts occurring in populated areas around the world is growing, which prevents reconstruction efforts and displaced communities from returning home.
“My research helps to strengthen the evidence on this and shows that explosive weapons continue to harm innocent communities long after the fighting stops,” Dr Pizzino explains.
“We need to increase global understanding of the reverberating effects of conflict and disasters, and how they affect the health of impacted communities.
“I also want my research to improve global disaster responses. For example, climate change poses a real threat to communities with contamination.
Extreme weather events, like floods and landslides, can transport hazards from previously cleared land and recontaminate areas.”
In June this year, Dr Pizzino travelled to the United Nations (UN) to share her research and highlight the plight of devastated communities.
“I chaired a UN session on the rights of war survivors,” Dr Pizzino reveals.
“I explained that survivors of war often experience catastrophic injuries that leave them with lifelong disabilities, and that countries must provide rehabilitation across their lifespan, especially for children.
“Through research evidence we can catalyse solutions to complex, global health issues.
“And, via impactful settings, like the UN, countries can work together to improve the daily lives of war survivors.
“Without these efforts, history only repeats itself.”
In the early 2000s, Dr Pizzino backpacked through Laos and Cambodia for months.
“I was 18 years old, and it was the first time I had seen minefields and communities battling with post-war contamination,” Dr Pizzino recalls.
“The experience motivated me to study a Master of International Public Health at UQ when I returned to Australia.
“This degree brought me back to Laos to do fieldwork, and helped me connect my understanding of injuries, gained from working as a paramedic, with war-ravaged countries.
“It also helped me identify a knowledge gap in the epidemiology of injury from explosive weapons for my PhD work,” she reveals. UQ has also helped Dr Pizzino achieve other research and leadership goals.
“My PhD supervisors, Dr Jo Durham and Dr Michael Waller, were always genuinely supportive, uplifting and compassionate, while sharing their incredibly high level of expertise with me,” Dr Pizzino explains.
“This helped me enormously as I balanced my PhD alongside raising a toddler and contributing to other research work.
“I also participated in the UQ LeadHers and Graduate School Career Development mentoring programs, which helped build my confidence, develop leadership skills, and implement strategies for networking and translating my research findings into policy work.
“My research has reaffirmed to me the inequities within our world and the need for sustainable solutions to progress humanity.
“This is why I am passionate about developing the evidence base for policy response, program planning and advocacy for communities affected by disasters and humanitarian crises.
“A culmination of life experiences has left a lasting impression on me and brought me right where I am today.”
Find out more about the UQ Master of Public Health.
This story is featured in the 2023 edition of UQmedicine Magazine. View the latest edition here. Or to listen, watch, or read more stories from UQ’s Faculty of Medicine, visit our blog, MayneStream.
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