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Policy and Surveillance

Professor Peter McIntyre MBBS, PhD, FRACP, FAFPHM

Professor Peter McIntyre

Peter McIntyre is the Director of NCIRS. He trained as a paediatrician and infectious disease physician, completing the FRACP in 1986, and became a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine in 1992. His PhD in the epidemiology of invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) disease with the School of Public Health, University of Sydney, was completed in 1995. His current research interests include surveillance and prevention by vaccination of invasive Hib and pneumococcal disease and pertussis, and the use of routinely collected data including the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR). He has extensive experience in vaccine trials.

Professor McIntyre has a clinical appointment at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead as a Senior Staff Specialist in Infectious Diseases and a conjoint academic appointment as Professor in the Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health and the School of Public Health, University of Sydney.

Dr Kristine Macartney BMedSci MBBS, DipPaeds, MD

Kristine Macartney

Kristine Macartney is a paediatrician specialising in infectious diseases. She is a medical graduate of the University of New South Wales, and gained much of her experience in the United States where she worked at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Her Doctorate of Medicine was on rotavirus infection, in particular the mucosal immune response to novel vaccine candidates. She was also a member of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and is interested in all aspects of vaccine preventable disease research.

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Mr Robert Menzies BAppSc (Applied Bio), MPH

Mr Robert Menzies

Rob Menzies is manager of Indigenous and Migrant Health and Program Evaluation. He worked in communicable disease surveillance in Australia and developing countries for a decade before joining NCIRS in 2002. His recently submitted PhD thesis was titled "The use of routinely collected data in developing national immunisation policy on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people", combining longstanding interests in the application of immunisation and epidemiological research to benefit those most in need.

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Dr Julie Leask DipAppSc, RM (midwifery), MPH, PhD

Dr Julie Leask

Julie Leask is a social researcher with academic qualifications in public health, midwifery and nursing. She is the manager of the social research program at NCIRS and is a conjoint senior lecturer within the Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health and the School of Public Health, University of Sydney. She also holds a visiting research fellow status with the University of Leeds in the UK. Julie's MPH and PhD focused on the impact of public controversies about vaccine safety. Since then, her research has focused on public and professional perceptions and behaviours regarding vaccines and vaccine preventable diseases. She has published work on program evaluation, decision aids, risk communication, ethics, media discourses, and audience studies using qualitative and quantitative methods.

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Dr Jane Jelfs PTC, PTHC, BAppSc (Med Lab Sci), PhD, MASM

Jane Jelfs is the Manager, Policy Support, and was involved in the technical editing and technical writing for the 9th edition of The Australian Immunisation Handbook and the 4th edition of Myths and Realities. Jane's background is in clinical and molecular microbiology, infectious diseases and public health, with a particular interest in meningococcal disease (the subject of Jane's PhD). Jane is also involved in the provision of technical support to the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) and numerous ATAGI working parties, and has a continuing role in the production of subsequent Immunisation Handbooks and other publications. Jane is a member of the evidence-based policy and practice team at NCIRS and is interested in all aspects of vaccine preventable disease research and communicable disease surveillance.

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Professor Raina MacIntyre FRACP, FAFPHM, M App Epid, PhD

Professor Raina MacIntryre

Professor Raina MacIntyre is Head of the School of Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of NSW and Professor of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology. She is also a Senior Principal Research Fellow at NCIRS. She runs a highly strategic research program spanning epidemiology, vaccinology, mathematical modelling, public health and clinical trials in infectious diseases. Her research is supported by NHMRC and ARC grants, and she has received international recognition by way of a major award, the Sir Henry Wellcome Medal and Prize, from the US military in 2007 for her work on bioterrorism. She has also won the Australian Society for Infectious Diseases Award for Advanced Research in Infectious Diseases. She is best known for research in the detailed understanding of the transmission dynamics and prevention of infectious diseases, particularly respiratory pathogens such as influenza, tuberculosis and other vaccine preventable infections. She has a particular interest in adult vaccination with a focus on the elderly.

At NCIRS, Professor MacIntyre and her team work closely with the Director on mathematical modelling projects. Professor MacIntyre also runs clinical trials at NCIRS.

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Dr Nicholas Wood MBBS, DCH, MPH, FRACP

Dr Nicholas Wood

Nicholas Wood is a paediatrician and is currently enrolled in a PhD on "Vaccines in the newborn", in particular examining the response to pertussis vaccines administered at birth and the longevity of immunity following hepatitis B vaccination in infancy. He is involved in the Immunisation Adverse Events Clinic and Refugee Clinic at The Children's Hospital at Westmead. He is interested in maternal and neonatal immunisation, as well as immunisation in lndigenous communities and developing countries.

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Dr Clayton Chiu MBBS, MRCP (UK), MPH&TM, GradDipAppEpi, FAFPHM

Dr Clayton Chiu

Clayton Chiu is a public health physician, trained in adult internal medicine and public health. He joined NCIRS in 2006 after graduating from the NSW Public Health Officer Training Program. He is also a conjoint lecturer of The Children’s Hospital at Westmead Clinical School, University of Sydney. His main interests are in the epidemiology and control of communicable diseases, immunisation for prevention and control of vaccine preventable diseases, and knowledge translation to support development of population vaccination policies.

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Mr Brynley Hull BSc (Hons), MPH

Brynley Hull is an epidemiologist and data analyst, working in public health research. He is a science graduate of the University of NSW and completed a Master of Public Health at the University of Sydney. After gaining experience in occupational health epidemiology, he is now the principal analyst for NCIRS of data from the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register and also the NCIRS webmaster. His main interests and expertise are the manipulation and analysis of public health data, immunisation research and spatial epidemiology.

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Dr Aditi Dey MBBS, DTM&H, GradDipApplSc (HIM), MPH, PhD

Dr Aditi Dey

Aditi Dey joined NCIRS in August 2008 as an epidemiologist. She has completed her PhD, Master of Public Health and Graduate Diploma in Applied Science (Health Information Management) at the University of Sydney after her medical degree (MBBS, University of Delhi) and training in tropical medicine (DTM&H, Mahidol University, Bangkok). Aditi has worked at the University of Sydney, and also in Thailand and India. At NCIRS, Aditi is involved in surveillance and program evaluation.

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Dr Helen Quinn BSc (Hons), PhD, MAppEpid

Dr Helen Quinn

Helen Quinn is an epidemiologist with a background in science (PhD in parasitology). Through her training she has gained experience in disease surveillance and control, outbreak investigation, study design and data analysis. Helen is interested in the epidemiology of vaccine preventable diseases, improving surveillance data quality and attitudes to immunisation in parents and providers.

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Paula Spokes RN, MIPH

Paula Spokes is an epidemiologist with a background in paediatric nursing. She has completed a Master of International Public Health at the University of Sydney and the NSW Public Health Officer Training Program. Through her training she has worked at NSW Health in communicable disease surveillance and epidemiology. At NCIRS she works in the area of vaccine preventable disease epidemiology, primarily for NSW.

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Ms Telphia Joseph BHlthSc (CD/AbHlthSc)

Ms Telphia Joseph

Telphia Joseph, a Yamitji woman from Western Australia, has qualifications in Community Development which led to her initial interest in environmental health and otitis media. Telphia has a qualitative research base and now acts in a liaison position between the National Immunisation Committee and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and other service providers offering immunisation programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Telphia has enrolled in a Master of Philosophy and will conduct a study evaluating the reporting mechanisms of Aboriginal Medical Services to the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register. Telphia will continue her collaborations with State and Territory based studies.

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Ms Han Wang MStats

Ms Han Wang MStats

Han Wang is a statistician. She obtained a masters degree in statistics from the University of Sydney, after a primary mathematics degree from Peking University. Her research work involves study design, mathematical modelling and data analysis. She is interested in robust estimation for mixed models, longitudinal analysis, matched case-control studies, multivariate analysis and time series.

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Dr Sanjay Jayasinghe MBBS, MSc

Dr Sanjay Jayasinghe

Sanjay Jayasinghe is a medical graduate with postgraduate qualifications in community medicine and public health. He has worked as a clinical practitioner both in Sri Lanka and Australia. He has extensive experience as a health services researcher in the areas of quality and safety of health care for the elderly, evaluation of complex system interventions, and assessment of provider and consumer perspectives of health care. He has particular interest in appraisal of large administrative and clinical databases for research and to inform clinical practice and policy. At NCIRS he is a member of the team providing evidence-based support for immunisation policy development.

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Dr Deepika Mahajan PhD

Dr Deepika Mahajan

Deepika Mahajan has qualifications in science (PhD in parasitic immunology) and epidemiology. She has experience in study design, data analysis, disease surveillance and outbreak investigations. Deepika is interested in the epidemiology of vaccine preventable diseases, communicable disease surveillance, improving surveillance data quality and immunisation in different groups. She is currently involved in the surveillance of adverse events following immunisation.

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Dr Spring Cooper PhD

Dr Spring Cooper

Spring Cooper is a social researcher with academic qualifications in public health, health promotion, and sexuality. She has taught both health promotion and sexuality classes to postgraduate students. Her PhD focused on the sexual health education implications of menstrual attitudes and knowledge among women of varying socio-economic status in the United States. Her current research interests are in sexual health, health promotion, health communication, and prevention of disease through behaviour change and vaccination.

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Mamta Porwal BHMS, MPH

Mamta Porwal is working as a Research Officer with the evidence-based policy and practice team at NCIRS. She successfully graduated with a Master of Public Health from the University of Sydney in 2003. Mamta is interested in evidence-based medicine and translation of research into policy and practice.

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Maria Chow BSc (Hons), MIPH, MPhil (Med)

Maria Chow

Maria Chow is a Research Assistant in social research. She obtained the Master of International Public Health and Master of Philosophy (Medicine) at the University of Sydney. Her research project focused on “client needs and satisfaction in an HIV facility”. She worked as a research assistant at the Health Promotion Unit, Sydney South West Area Health Service, prior to joining NCIRS in March 2009.

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Ms Amanda Edkins

Amanda Edkins

Amanda Edkins has a background in dental therapy and has been involved in the training of dental auxiliaries at Westmead Hospital. She joined NCIRS in 2007 as a Health Information Assistant and is now a Research Assistant working with the evidence-based policy and practice team. Currently she is completing a Graduate Certificate in Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Sydney.

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Ms Anita Heywood BSc (Biomed Sci), MPH

Ms Anita Heywood

Anita Heywood joined NCIRS in 2006. She is a graduate in Biomedical Science from the University of Technology, Sydney, and completed her Master of Public Health at the University of Sydney in 2005. She is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of NSW. The subject of her thesis involves travel patterns and traveller behaviour and their relationship to the importation and emergence of infections in the Australian population. During her candidature Anita has continued her employment at NCIRS as a Research Assistant supporting work on The Australian Immunisation Handbook and technical writing for ATAGI working parties.

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Ms Catherine King BA, GradDip (IM - Librarianship), MAppSci (LIM), GCertEBP (Med), AALIA

Ms Catherine King

Catherine King is a medical librarian, with postgraduate qualifications in both Library and Information Management and Evidence-Based Practice (Med). She has previous experience as the manager of both district and teaching hospital clinical libraries. Joining NCIRS in 2001, Catherine provides professional librarianship and information management services to support the evidence-based policy, teaching and research activities of the Centre, including ongoing literature searching for The Australian Immunisation Handbook and ATAGI working parties. Catherine is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of Sydney, examining the types of information required to underpin vaccination policy for the prevention of seasonal influenza.

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Mr Edward Jacyna BAppSc, GradCert (DrugDev), GradDip (Info & Lib Studies)

Mr Edward Jacyna

Edward has a background in clinical trials working on various trials for the Langton Centre/Sydney Hospital. He has completed a Bachelor of Applied Science, a Graduate Certificate in Drug Development from the University of NSW and a Graduate Diploma in Information and Library Studies from Curtin University. Edward joined NCIRS in 2008 as the Assistant Librarian and is involved in maintaining NCIRS’s knowledge-based resource collection and sourcing relevant literature to support the policy, teaching and research activities of the Centre.

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Ms Donna Armstrong BAppSc (Biomed Sci)

Ms Donna Armstrong

Donna’s background is in biomedical science. She has had experience as a scientist in pathology and research laboratories, and as a product/technical specialist in molecular biology and immunology instrumentation supply companies. Donna is involved in referencing, proofreading and editing support for NCIRS publications, sourcing relevant literature to support research in the Centre, maintaining NCIRS's knowledge-based resource collection, and subscription management for the NCIRS-AIP electronic mailing list.

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Leanne Vidler RN, DipAppSc (Nursing), Paeds Cert

Leanne Vidler

Leanne Vidler is a registered nurse with postgraduate qualifications in paediatrics, paediatric intensive care and immunisation. She joined NCIRS as a Research Nurse in 2009 after working for 16 years in various paediatric nursing positions, both in Australia and abroad, and in healthcare recruitment, infection control and service improvement. Leanne is currently working on a pilot study (PAEDS) testing the value of hospital-based active disease surveillance.

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Professor Margaret Burgess AO, MD BS, FRACP, FAFPHM

Margaret Burgess

Margaret Burgess was the founding director of NCIRS and, on her retirement, held the position of Professor of Paediatrics and Preventive Medicine at the University of Sydney. She was a member of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation as well as a number of international committees. Professor Burgess carried out the first trials of rubella vaccination in Australia and has a long-standing clinical and research interest in immunisation and in vaccine preventable and congenital infections, especially rubella and varicella.

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