Dr Karen Waller
Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist, Concord Repatriation General Hospital
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
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