Yohannes Tefera Damtew

Yohannes Tefera Damtew

School of Public Health

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences


Yohannes is an Associate Research Fellow in the Environment and Health Research Group within the School of Public Health. His research focuses on environmental health, environmental exposures, and climate change, with particular emphasis on the health impacts of extreme heat.

His PhD applied a burden of disease framework to estimate infectious diseases attributable to non-optimal temperatures in Australia. It was the first nationwide study to quantify the current burden of temperature-related infectious diseases and project future risks under various climate and population scenarios.

Yohannes currently works on the Building Resilience to the Impacts of Heatwaves in Australia (BRIHA) Consortium project. His work supports efforts to improve understanding of heatwave impacts and strengthen public health resilience. He evaluates public responses to national heatwave warning systems, assesses heat-related health risks, and studies the reach, impact, and effectiveness of the Bureau of Meteorology’s decision support tools and agency-issued warnings.

Yohannes has extensive experience in teaching and research and possesses a strong academic background in environmental health sciences. He is committed to producing evidence that informs policy, supports climate adaptation, and improves population health outcomes in the face of a changing climate.

  • Appointments

    Date Position Institution name
    2018 - 2020 Associate Researcher Ethiopian Environment and Forest Research Institute
    2011 - 2020 Lecturer and researcher Haramaya University
    2006 - 2009 Graduate Assistant Haramaya University
  • Language Competencies

    Language Competency
    Amharic Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review
    English Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review
  • Education

    Date Institution name Country Title
    2020 University of Adelaide Australia Higher Degree by Research (PhD)
    2015 - 2017 Vrije Universiteit Brussel Belgium Master of Science in Human Ecology
    2009 - 2011 University of Mysore India Master of Science in Environmental Science
    2003 - 2006 Haramaya University Ethiopia Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health

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