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Lesley Russell

Dr Russell returned to Australia in October 2012 after three years in Washington DC where she worked on a range of issues around the enactment and implementation of health care reform, initially as a Visiting Fellow at the Center for American Progress (known as the 'Obama think tank') and later as a Senior Advisor to the U.S. Surgeon General in the Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr Russell has substantial experience working in health policy in the United States and Australia. both in and out of government. She was previously the inaugural Menzies Foundation Fellow at the Menzies Centre for Health Policy (MCHP) and a Research Associate at the US Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. Prior to that she was a health policy advisor to the Federal ALP. She worked for seven years as health policy advisor on the Energy and Commerce Committee in the US House of Representatuves.

Dr Russell is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the MCHP and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Australian and New Zealand Studies at Georgetown University. She holds a PhD in biochemistry from the John Curtin School of Medical Research at ANU.

Getting rid of junk health insurance policies is just tinkering at the margins of a much bigger issue

Aug 28, 2017 14:27 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

In media interviews and his speech at the National Press Club this week, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) president, Michael Gannon, has spoken out against junk health-insurance policies. He said these are worth...

Investing in rural health brings ten-fold returns to local economies (and improves health)

Apr 26, 2017 07:59 am UTC| Insights & Views Investing

When we talk about rural health, its easy to focus on health inequalities between the roughly 10% of Australians who live in rural and remote areas and those who live in our cities. Statistics show the further...

Is the investment in private health insurance worthwhile?

Nov 22, 2016 01:27 am UTC| Insights & Views Business

A frequent topic of conversation at any social or workplace gathering is the cost and unfairness of private health insurance. Despite guaranteed free treatment in public hospitals, we are both conditioned and persuaded to...

Do you really need to go to hospital? Time to recentre the health system

Mar 17, 2016 23:01 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

Hospitals dominate our health-care system and account for more than one-third of Australias A$150 billion-plus health budget. Pressure is growing on hospital services and costs are spiralling. This is because of the...

Economy

Thailand Nears U.S. Trade Deal, Tariffs Expected Below 36%

Thailands trade negotiations with the United States are expected to conclude before the August 1 deadline, with tariffs likely to come in lower than the previously feared 36%, Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira said...

Asia Stocks Slip, Euro Struggles as U.S.-EU Trade Deal Spurs Tariff Worries

Asian markets fell on Tuesday as investors reacted to the U.S.-EU trade deal, which introduced steep tariffs likely to weigh on global growth and inflation. Relief from avoiding harsher measures faded when Europes new 15%...

Pakistan Central Bank Expected to Cut Interest Rate as Inflation Eases

Pakistans central bank is widely expected to reduce its key policy rate by 50 basis points to 10.5% on Wednesday, according to a Reuters poll, as slowing inflation and stronger external reserves create room for further...

Euro Struggles as U.S.-EU Trade Deal Sparks Economic Concerns

The euro remained under pressure on Tuesday following steep losses triggered by a new U.S.-EU trade agreement widely viewed as favoring Washington. France labeled the deal a dark day for Europe, criticizing its 15% tariff...

South Korea Seeks Trade Deal with U.S. to Avert Tariffs Before August Deadline

South Korean Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol announced on Tuesday that he will push for a mutually beneficial trade agreement with the United States as the August 1 deadline to avoid U.S. tariffs approaches. Koo is set to...

Politics

Trump Open to China Visit at Xi Jinping’s Invitation Amid Rising Trade Tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump signaled on Tuesday that he may visit China later this year but emphasized it would only be at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, an invitation he said has already been extended....

U.S. Justice Department Files Misconduct Complaint Against Judge James Boasberg Amid Deportation Dispute

The U.S. Justice Department has filed a misconduct complaint against Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, a high-profile Washington, D.C. judge criticized by President Donald Trump. Attorney General Pam Bondi...

Colombia’s Ex-President Alvaro Uribe Convicted in Historic Witness Tampering Case

Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was convicted Monday of abuse of process and bribery in a landmark witness tampering case, becoming the first ex-leader in Colombias history to be found guilty at trial. The ruling...

North Korea Rejects U.S. Denuclearization Talks, Cites ‘Changed Reality’

North Korea declared that future negotiations with the United States will not lead to denuclearization, emphasizing that the geopolitical landscape has shifted since past summit meetings. According to state media KCNA, Kim...

Trump Urges Israel to Boost Aid Amid Growing Starvation Crisis in Gaza

U.S. President Donald Trump urged Israel to expand humanitarian aid to Gaza as starvation intensifies, with Gazas health ministry reporting nearly 60,000 deaths from two years of war and 147 from hunger, including 88...

Science

NASA Faces Major Workforce Reduction as 20% of Employees Prepare to Leave

NASA is bracing for a significant workforce reduction, with roughly 20% of its employees expected to leave the agency in the coming weeks. According to a NASA spokesperson, about 3,870 staff members are anticipated to...

FDA Lifts REMS Requirement for CAR-T Cell Cancer Therapies

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has removed the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) requirement for all currently approved CAR-T cell therapies, a move expected to improve patient access to these...

Neuren Pharmaceuticals Surges on U.S. Patent Win for Rare Disorder Drug

Shares of Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX:NEU) jumped over 10% on Thursday after the company announced a key development in its rare disease pipeline. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has approved Neurens patent...

CDC Vaccine Review Sparks Controversy Over Thimerosal Study Citation

A presentation on thimerosal, a mercury-based vaccine preservative, set to be delivered to the CDCs advisory committee has come under scrutiny for referencing a non-existent study. The report, Thimerosal as a Vaccine...

SpaceX Starship Explodes in Texas During Test, Citing Nitrogen Tank Failure

SpaceXs Starship spacecraft exploded in a dramatic fireball during a late-night test at the companys Starbase facility in Brownsville, Texas, on June 18, 2025. The 400-foot Mars-bound rocket, a key part of Elon Musks...

Technology

Nvidia Places 300,000 H20 Chip Orders Amid Renewed China Demand

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has reportedly ordered 300,000 H20 AI chipsets from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) following a surge in Chinese demand, according to multiple sources. This comes after the Trump...

Samsung Shares Dip After Rally on $16.5B Tesla Chip Deal

Shares of Samsung Electronics (KS:005930) fell about 1% on Tuesday, pausing after a strong rally sparked by news of a $16.5 billion chip supply deal with Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA). The agreement positions Samsung as a key...

Cadence Design to Pay $140M in U.S. Export Violation Case Linked to China’s Military University

Cadence Design Systems will plead guilty and pay over $140 million to settle U.S. charges of illegally exporting chip design software and hardware to a Chinese military-linked university, the Justice Department announced...

Tesla Inks $16.5B Chip Deal with Samsung for Next-Gen AI6 Production in Texas

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk announced a $16.5 billion chip supply agreement with Samsung Electronics (KS:005930), a move that could revitalize Samsungs struggling contract chip manufacturing business. The deal sent...

Samsung Secures $16.5 Billion Semiconductor Deal in Major Foundry Win

Samsung Electronics announced on Monday that it has signed a $16.5 billion contract to supply semiconductors to a leading global corporation, marking one of its largest chip manufacturing deals to date. The agreement,...