Cross-cutting research

Kate is a veterinary microbiologist researching the pathogenesis and control of infectious diseases of animals especially those considered zoonotic. She has a particular interest in Coxiella burnetii, coxiellosis in animals and Q fever in humans. Other research projects have been in mastitis in dairy cattle (particularly due to Mycoplasma spp. and Streptococcus agalactiae) and antimicrobial resistance in animals.

Dr Brookes’ research focuses on using field and epidemiologic methods to promote evidence-based practice in One Health, particularly emerging and neglected infectious diseases. She has extensive research experience using methods such as risk assessment and disease modelling for the development of strategies for disease preparedness, including prevention, detection, and response. Dr Brookes has led several projects including One Health for health promotion strategies in the Southeast Asian and Oceanic regions, One Health capacity building in the Pacific region, and One Health on Country: making a difference to animals and their people in remote Indigenous communities in Australia. She is also involved in epidemiologic research of a range of diseases including rabies, Hendra virus, African swine fever, and Japanese Encephalitis virus.

Jacqui is a Professor of Veterinary Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. She is a registered practicing veterinarian and is passionate about practical research projects and education programs for veterinary professionals, animal breeders and animal owners. Her research focusses on the development of diagnostics and treatments for companion animal viral diseases; and the prevention of Q fever and role of companion animals and wildlife in the epidemiology; as well as molecular epidemiology of multidrug resistant (MDR) Staphylococcus species in all animals including humans; and Knowledge, attitudes and barriers to veterinary antimicrobial stewardship.

Michael Walsh is a landscape epidemiologist who is interested in the complex ecologies of zoonotic pathogens and their interaction with hosts, vectors, and environments to shape risk. His research focusses on he ways in which interactions between wildlife, domesticated animals, and humans in anthropogenic landscapes facilitate pathogen spillover from primary reservoir hosts to novel hosts.

Prof Zadoks’ interests include the use of molecular epidemiology to understand sources and transmission routes of bacterial infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance across host species, and the development of disease control programmes to support human and animal health and food security.

The aim of Dr Golubchik's research is to use modern genomics technologies to explore the diversity and evolution of microbial pathogens, especially viruses and bacteria of public health significance. She is interested in how microbial pathogens evolve within an individual infection to generate a within-host microcosm of closely related bacteria/viruses, some of which can then be transmitted onward to a new host. Each element of this process involves a complex interplay between competing pathogens or variants in the original host, immune pressure from both the infector and the newly infected individual, and a stochastic element of 'drift', or luck in making it through the bottleneck of transmission and into a new host.

Prof Sintchenko is a leading public health microbiologist and informatician who conducts research on biosurveillance of communicable diseases. He is studying and implementing genomics-guided surveillance of respiratory, food-borne and other bacterial diseases with epidemic potential (e.g. tuberculosis, pertussis, pneumococcal pneumonia, salmonella gastroenteritis, MRSA infections).

As an historian of science, medicine and public health, focusing on Australasia, the Pacific, Southeast Asia and the United States. Professor Anderson is especially interested in issues of infectious diseases and health equity, racial injustice, disease ecology, and planetary health.

Professor Guest is interested in the way plants defend themselves against pathogens at the cellular, whole plant and ecosystem levels. His One Health collaborations aim to understand and address the human constraints that limit crop disease management and food security in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. 

Aaron Jenkins has highly regarded expertise in crosscutting development themes including integrated conservation and development, wetland management for health, nutrition and climate change mitigation, WASH and waterborne disease management, intersection of climate change, natural disaster, land and water management on health and sustainable fisheries.

Prof Joel Negin's current research focuses on health system development, infectious disease and the intersection of ecology and health. He maintains ongoing research and collaborations in Vietnam, Fiji, India and Indonesia. Before moving to Australia, he was awarded degrees from Harvard and Columbia Universities and then worked for six years in sub-Saharan Africa on various health and development programs. 

A/Prof Cameron Webb has over 25 years experience in mosquito and mosquito-borne disease research and management. He provides advice to local, state, and federal government agencies on mosquito control and surveillance programs as well as public health interventions to reduce the pest and public health threats to the community.

Diego's research centres on public health ethics, particularly the application of political theory in the context of infectious diseases and health security, e.g., tuberculosis, COVID-19, antimicrobial resistance, etc. Diego adopts a mixed methods approach to his work, including the use of qualitative methods and conceptual analysis.

Dr Carissa Bonner is a behavioural scientist who researches risk communication, medical decision making and health literacy, with a strong focus on prevention. She leads a national partnership with the Heart Foundation to develop decision support tools for national CVD prevention guidelines, and advises on health literacy aspects of a national COVID-19 vaccination risk calculator supported by the Immunisation Coalition. She is the Deputy Director of the Sydney Health Literacy Lab at the University of Sydney, and recently worked with the World Health Organization on a global action framework for science translation in public health emergencies.

Professor Kirsten McCaffery is Director of the Sydney Health Literacy Lab. Kirsten’s research focuses on effective health communication, shared decision making and psychosocial outcomes. Specifically, her research addresses health literacy, behaviour change, psychosocial impacts and health equity for marginalised populations.

Alex Broom is recognised as an international leader in sociology, with a specific interest in health, illness and care. His work takes a person-centred approach, qualitatively exploring the intersections of individual experience and social, political and economic context. 

Sarah's current research focuses on adolescent global health. Her qualitative longitudinal research programme explores the experiences of young people growing with HIV and/ or exposed to high HIV risk. She works in a large multidisciplinary team and collaborates with clinicians, epidemiologists, ethicists and statisticians to address research questions through multiple methods.

Dr Kenny's research draws on social theory and qualitative methodologies to better understand how health and disease, (or illness and wellness) are understood, ‘treated’, experienced and made meaningful in clinical contexts and in everyday life.

Dr O'Sullivan is an Infectious Diseases Physician and Medical Microbiologist. He has a clinical interest in staphylococcal infection, tropical medicine, HIV, infections in immunocompromised hosts and diagnosis, management and clinical biocontainment for High Consequence Infectious Diseases such as Ebola and COVID-19. His research interest is in genotyped-based surveillance of pathogens responsible for hospital-aqcuired infections.

Prof Shaban is a leading internationally credentialed expert infection control practitioner with particular strengths in high-consequence infectious diseases, communicable diseases and their control and prevention, emergency care and health protection. As Clinical Chair he is Chief Infection Control Practitioner and District Director of Communicable Disease Control and Infection Prevention for Western Sydney Local Health District, where he provides strategic and operational leadership of infection prevention and communicable disease control services.