Dr Karen Waller
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Dr Karen Waller

PhD FRACP MBBS BSc(Adv)
Research Fellow, School of Public Health and NHRMC Clinical Trials Centre
Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist, Concord Repatriation General Hospital
Dr Karen Waller

Dr Karen Waller is an early career clinician researcher with a research background in epidemiology and a clinical background as a gastroenterologist and hepatologist. She completed her PhD in infections, especially blood-borne viruses, in solid organ donation and transplantation. She has experience with systematic review and meta analysis, cohort studies and population-based linked datasets, as well as meta-research. She is interested in equity in healthcare, over-diagnosis and risk aversion in medicine, and using existing information to gain clinically relevant insights, and applying these interests to the field of hepatology.

2022 - The Professor Margaret Kelaher Best PhD Paper Award, Health Services Research Association of Australia and New Zealand

2021, 2019 & 2018 - Early Career Researcher Award, TSANZ (Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand) ASM (Annual Scientific Meeting)

2019 - TTS-ISODP (The Transplantation Society – International Society for Organ Donation and Procurement) Congress Scientific Award

2018 - Royal Australian College of Physicians NSW/ACT Trainee Research Award for Excellence in Adult Medicine

2018 - TTS Young Investigator Award

2017 & 2015 - Young Investigator Award, TSANZ ASM

Obesity, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease, Infection and Immunological Conditions

Publications

Journals

  • Chin, S., Kench, C., Cao, R., Lee, C., Waller, K., Virtue, S., West, C., Valliani, T., Bowen, D., Jacob, R., Pulitano, C., Crawford, M., Strasser, S., McCaughan, G., Liu, K., et al (2025). Impact of distance from liver transplant centre on outcomes following liver transplantation: an Australian single-centre study. Internal Medicine Journal, , 1-9. [More Information]
  • Anderson, E., Waller, K., Tamilarasan, A., Lin, H., Paramsothy, S., Leong, R. (2023). Adalimumab originator versus adalimumab biosimilars in inflammatory bowel disease in Australia. Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy. [More Information]
  • Shah, K., Wyld, M., Hedley, J., Waller, K., De La Mata, N., Webster, A., Morton, R. (2023). Cost-effectiveness of Kidney Transplantation From Donors at Increased Risk of Blood-borne Virus Infection Transmission. Transplantation, 107(9), 2028-2042. [More Information]

2025

  • Chin, S., Kench, C., Cao, R., Lee, C., Waller, K., Virtue, S., West, C., Valliani, T., Bowen, D., Jacob, R., Pulitano, C., Crawford, M., Strasser, S., McCaughan, G., Liu, K., et al (2025). Impact of distance from liver transplant centre on outcomes following liver transplantation: an Australian single-centre study. Internal Medicine Journal, , 1-9. [More Information]

2023

  • Anderson, E., Waller, K., Tamilarasan, A., Lin, H., Paramsothy, S., Leong, R. (2023). Adalimumab originator versus adalimumab biosimilars in inflammatory bowel disease in Australia. Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy. [More Information]
  • Shah, K., Wyld, M., Hedley, J., Waller, K., De La Mata, N., Webster, A., Morton, R. (2023). Cost-effectiveness of Kidney Transplantation From Donors at Increased Risk of Blood-borne Virus Infection Transmission. Transplantation, 107(9), 2028-2042. [More Information]
  • Waller, K., Bowen, D., Strasser, S. (2023). Transforming Genes to Protect Against Liver Disease: Will siRNA-based Therapeutics Reduce the Need for Liver Transplantation? Transplantation, 107(3), 556-557. [More Information]

2022

  • Waller, K., Leong, R., Paramsothy, S. (2022). An update on fecal microbiota transplantation for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 37(2), 246-255. [More Information]
  • Waller, K., Rawlinson, W., Wyburn, K., Webster, A., De La Mata, N., Rosales, B., Hedley, J., Kelly, P., Thomson, A., O'Leary, M., et al (2022). Characteristics and Donation Outcomes of Potential Organ Donors Perceived to Be at Increased Risk for Blood-borne Virus Transmission: An Australian cohort study 2010–2018. Transplantation, 106(2), 348-357. [More Information]
  • Waller, K., Furber, S., Cook, R., Allman-Farinelli, M., Colagiuri, S., Franco, L., Moses, R., Webb, A., Bauman, A. (2022). Effectiveness and costs of strategies to recruit Australian adults with type 2 diabetes into a text message intervention (DTEXT) study. Public Health Research and Practice, 32(2). [More Information]

2021

  • Hedley, J., Vajdic, C., Wyld, M., Waller, K., Kelly, P., De La Mata, N., Rosales, B., Wyburn, K., Webster, A. (2021). Cancer transmissions and non-transmissions from solid organ transplantation in an Australian cohort of deceased and living organ donors. Transplant International, 34(9), 1667-1679. [More Information]

2020

  • Waller, K., Hedley, J., Rosales, B., De La Mata, N., Thomson, I., Walker, J., Kelly, P., O'Leary, M., Cavazzoni, E., Wyburn, K., Webster, A. (2020). Effect of language and country of birth on the consent process and medical suitability of potential organ donors; a linked-data cohort study 2010-2015. Journal of Critical Care, 57, 23-29. [More Information]
  • Waller, K., De La Mata, N., Hedley, J., Rosales, B., O'Leary, M., Cavazzoni, E., Ramachandran, V., Rawlinson, W., Kelly, P., Wyburn, K., Webster, A. (2020). New blood-borne virus infections among organ transplant recipients: An Australian data-linked cohort study examining donor transmissions and other HIV, hepatitis C and hepatitis B notifications, 2000-2015. Transplant Infectious Disease, 22(6), 1-12. [More Information]
  • Hedley, J., De La Mata, N., Rosales, B., Waller, K., Thomson, I., Kelly, P., O’Leary, M., Cavazzoni, E., Wyburn, K., Webster, A. (2020). Perceived Vs. Verified Risk Of Cancer Transmission from Deceased Organ Donors: A 2010-2015 Cohort Study Using Data Linkage in New South Wales, Australia. Transplantation, 104(S3 Suppl 3), S225-S225. [More Information]

2019

  • Thomson, I., Rosales, B., Kelly, P., Wyburn, K., Waller, K., Hirsch, D., O'Leary, M., Webster, A. (2019). Epidemiology and Comorbidity Burden of Organ Donor Referrals in Australia: Cohort Study 2010-2015. Transplantation Direct, 5(11), 1-6. [More Information]
  • White, S., Rawlinson, W., Boan, P., Sheppeard, V., Wong, G., Waller, K., Opdam, H., Kaldor, J., Fink, M., Verran, D., Webster, A., Wyburn, K., Chadban, S., et al (2019). Infectious Disease Transmission in Solid Organ Transplantation: Donor Evaluation, Recipient Risk, and Outcomes of Transmission. Transplantation Direct, 5(1), 1-91. [More Information]
  • Waller, K., De La Mata, N., Kelly, P., Ramachandran, V., Rawlinson, W., Wyburn, K., Webster, A. (2019). Residual risk of infection with blood-borne viruses in potential organ donors at increased risk of infection: systematic review and meta-analysis. Medical Journal of Australia, 211(9), 414-420. [More Information]

2018

  • Waller, K., Wyburn, K., Shackel, N., O'Leary, M., Kelly, P., Webster, A. (2018). Hepatitis transmission risk in kidney transplantation (the HINT study): a cross-sectional survey of transplant clinicians in Australian and New Zealand. Transplantation, 102(1), 146-153. [More Information]

2014

  • Kim, Y., Waller, K., Keo, V., Soum, R., Gollogly, J. (2014). Acral melanoma in Cambodia: Challenges associated with a rare and aggressive disease encountered in a developing country setting. Asian Biomedicine, 8(6), 809-814. [More Information]

2013

  • Chapman, S., St George, A., Waller, K., Cakic, V. (2013). The pattern of complaints about Australian wind farms does not match the establishment and distribution of turbines: support for the psychogenic, 'communicated disease' hypothesis. PloS One, 8(10), 1-11. [More Information]

Selected Grants

2024

  • Targeted Funding Call 2024, Waller K, Faculty of Medicine and Health/Targeted Funding Call 2024

2022

  • FMH Clinical Title Holder Research Travel Funding Allowance 2023, Waller K, Faculty of Medicine and Health/FMH Clinical Title Holder Research Travel Funding Allowance 2023