Associate Professor Aletha Ward is a registered nurse, researcher and health policy leader at the University of Southern Queensland. Her research focuses on climate and planetary health, health equity, primary healthcare and health-system preparedness, with particular expertise in extreme heat and its implications for priority populations and the health workforce. She works across academic, government, health-service and professional sectors to translate evidence into practical interventions, workforce education and policy. Her current research includes heat preparedness during pregnancy, predictive heat-health intelligence for primary healthcare, and climate-resilient models of care.