Associate Professor Margaret Hellard
Margaret is the co-director of CPH. Margaret’s principal research interests are in the epidemiology of blood-borne viruses (HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C) and sexually transmitted infections. Much of her work focuses on preventing the transmission and impact of these infections in vulnerable populations. Margaret also continues to work as an infectious diseases physician at the Alfred and Royal Melbourne Hospitals, and holds an honorary appointment with the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at Monash University
Phone: 9282 2163
Email: Hellard@burnet.edu.au
Professor John Reeder
John is a research scientist with a particular interest in infectious diseases and international health. His primary interest is in malaria, and he has made significant contributions to the study of the molecular basis of pathogenesis and the molecular epidemiology of the malaria parasite. He also maintains active research interest in other agents of major global health significance, such as tuberculosis and HIV. He holds honorary professorships at Monash University and the University of Papua New Guinea. John has a deep commitment to putting the best of science at the service of the health problems of the developing world, and creating the evidence base for effective health policy and intervention.
Phone: 8506 2320
Email: jreeder@burnet.edu.au
Professor Brendan Crabb
Brendan is the Director and CEO of the Burnet Institute, as well as co-head of the Gilson/Crabb Malaria Laboratory. Brendan comes to the Burnet Institute from Melbourne’s Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, where he was the Deputy Head of the Division of Infection and Immunity. Brendan’s work aims to discover novel drug targets to control the disease-causing asexual blood stage growth-phase of the malarial life cycle, as well as identifying surface antigens and enzymes which could be developed into malaria vaccines.
Phone: 9282 2123
Email: crabb@burnet.edu.au
Dr Campbell Aitken
Campbell is the Deputy Director of CPH, and the head of the HCV/IDU Research Group. Holding a PhD from the University of Melbourne, Campbell has over 20 years experience conducting research in the fields of illicit drugs and blood-borne virus epidemiology. His particular interests lie in the social networks of injecting drug users and the implications of these networks for hepatitis C transmission.
Phone: 9282 2114
Email: Aitken@burnet.edu.au
Professor Robert Power
Robert is the Principal for Disease Prevention at the Burnet Institute and a Professorial Fellow at both Melbourne and Monash Universities. His main research interests focus on risk and HIV prevention, as well as applied qualitative and participatory methods that have direct relevance to public and international health interventions. He is also a member of the Centre for International Health, where is engaged on a range of research and development projects in the Asia Pacific Region.
Phone: 9282 2169
Email: Robert@burnet.edu.au
Associate Professor Paul Dietze
Paul is the head of the Alcohol and other Drug Research Group at CPH. Paul has over 10 years experience in the field. His is particularly interested in changing patterns of drug use in Australia, and is currently developing a large cohort study of primary heroin and methamphetamine injectors. He also collaborates with researchers from a number of countries on collecting international perspectives of drinking patterns, gender and social roles. Paul also holds a joint position at the Monash Institute of Health Services Research.
Phone: 9282 2134
Email: pauld@burnet.edu.au
Dr Mark Stoové
Mark heads the HIV/STI Research Group in the Centre for Population Health, as well as maintaining active involvement in substance use research. Mark has a background in epidemiology and biostatistics and in drug and alcohol research, blood borne virus transmission, the long-term health outcomes of injecting drug users and record linkage methodologies. Mark currently co-ordinates several research projects including an investigation of unrecognised HIV infection among gay men in Melbourne, an evaluation of HIV prevention in Victoria, and a post-release cohort study of prisoners with a history of injecting drug use.
Phone: 8506 2301
Email: stoove@burnet.edu.au
Dr Paul Gilson
Paul is a post-doctoral scientist and the co-head of the Gilson/Crabb Malaria Laboratory. Paul’s research focuses on Plasmodium falciparum malaria and covers aspects including cell signalling, cell motility and invasion, live cell microscopy and endosymbiosis.
Phone: 8506 2346
Email: Gilson@burnet.edu.au
Dr Isabel Bergeri
Isabel is an epidemiologist and the Surveillance Manager in the HIV/STI/BBVs Research Group at CPH. She recently joined the Burnet Institute, following 5 years as an epidemiologist working for the WHO World Health Organization, Communicable Disease Surveillance and Response cluster, especially in Western Africa, Eastern Europe, Pacific Islands, Cambodia and various other South East Asia countries. Isabel’s role at CPH will be managing a number of blood-borne virus and STI surveillance systems, as well as conducting program and project evaluations.
Phone: 9282 2290
Email: Bergeri@burnet.edu.au
Dr Peter Higgs
Peter has a background in community development and has worked with marginalised populations in Melbourne, Sydney, Vietnam, Indonesia and China for 20 years. Peter completed an MA in Asian and International Studies at Victoria University where he studied the footpath economy of street traders in Hanoi. Peter recently completed his PhD with the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at Monash University. His thesis was a qualitative study of risks and resultant harms among a cohort of ethnic Vietnamese heroin users from Footscray, Melbourne.
He is currently a NHMRC Post-doctoral fellow, working on an international collaboration investigating protective and well as risk factors in blood borne virus transmission for long term injecting drug users with the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research at the University of NSW.
Phone: +61 (0) 421 030 456
Email: phiggs@nchecr.unsw.edu.au
Dr Alyssa Barry
Since completing her PhD at the University of Tasmania, Alyssa has held positions with New York University, Oxford University and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. Alyssa’s research at the Burnet Institute explores population genomics of malaria candidate vaccine antigen genes and exploring the genomic and immuno-epidemiology of the major surface antigen of Plasmodium falciparum, PfEMP1.
Phone: 8506 2334
Email: Alyssa.barry@burnet.edu.au
Dr Helen Cox
Helen holds both a Masters of Public Health and PhD from the University of Melbourne. Helen has worked as a researcher and epidemiologist with Medicins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) in Africa and Uzbekistan. Her research focuses on the molecular epidemiology of tuberculosis, and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis in particular.
Phone: 8506 2365
Email: hcox@burnet.edu.au
Dr Julian Elliott
Julian is a HIV clinical advisor, and holds co-positions as an infectious diseases physician at the Alfred Hospital and as a senior lecturer at the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research (NCHECR), University of New South Wales. Julian comes to the Burnet Institute following four years as a technical advisor for the Ministry of Health in Cambodia. Julian’s key interests are in HIV treatment in resource-limited settings, detection and management of first anti-retroviral therapy failure, and HIV and tuberculosis co-infection.
Phone: 9282 2277
Email: Elliott@burnet.edu.au
Alisa Pedrana
Alisa completed her BBiomed Sci (Hons) degree through Monash University in 2005, after which she begun working as a research assistant/surveillance officer at CPH. She recently commenced her PhD, investigating the epidemiology of HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Victoria. The project will involve evaluating current HIV prevention initiatives and undertaking a community-based HIV prevalence study.
Phone: 8506 2326
Email: alisa@burnet.edu.au
Brendan Quinn
Brendan completed his BArts(Hons)/BSc degree at the University of Melbourne in 2005, and has since occupied various roles in the Drug and Alcohol field at organisations such as the Australian Drug Foundation, Gateway-Connexions and Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre. Brendan has been employed as a research assistant at the Burnet Institute since early 2008, where he works on a number of projects relating to drug and alcohol epidemiology.
Phone: 9282 2259
Email: brendanq@burnet.edu.au
Carol El-Hayek
Carol completed her Masters of Epidemiology at the University of Melbourne in 2007 and has since been employed at the Burnet Institute as a Research and Surveillance Officer in the areas of HIV/AIDS, sexually transmissible infections and blood-borne viruses. Carol has an extensive background in data management in a range of epidemiology research settings.
Phone: 8506 2303
Email: carol@burnet.edu.au
Dr Chris Lemoh
Chris is an infectious diseases physician who is currently completing his PhD through CPH and the Department of Medicine at The University of Melbourne. Chris’ PhD is entitled “HIV in Victoria's African communities: reducing risks and improving care”. He expects to submit his thesis in early 2009."
Phone: 9282 2120
Email: chrisl@burnet.edu.au
Danielle Horyniak
Danielle completed her BBiomedSci (Hons) through Monash University in 2006, and has been employed as a research assistant at CPH since March 2007. She works on a number of projects related to blood-borne virus surveillance and drug and alcohol epidemiology.
Phone: 8506 2143
Email: danielle@burnet.edu.au
Duyen Duong
Duyen joined the Centre for Population Health as a Youth Scholarship trainee in mid-2005, working as a research assistant/outreach worker mainly on the N2 and MIX studies and a number of other projects relating to injecting drug use and blood borne viruses. She completed her Diploma of Community Welfare Work through Swinburne TAFE in 2007.
Phone: 9282 2176
Email: duyen@burnet.edu.au
Fabian Kong
Fabian graduated in 1996 as a pharmacist specialising in critical care medicine (toxicology, emergency/intensive care) and then worked overseas with Essential Drug Programs in pacific island countries. He completed his Masters of Epidemiology (University of Melbourne, 2006) and now works in the area of youth sexual health and drug use surveillance. He continues to be involved with teaching and supporting pharmacy staff in developing countries.
Phone: 8506 2327
Email: fabian.kong@burnet.edu.au
Hayley Bullen
Hayley completed her BBiomed Sci (Hons) degree the University of Melbourne in 2007, working at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in the Infection and Immunity division. Her project focussed on investigating a novel family of multipass transmembrane proteins in Apicomplexan parasites, particularly those found in Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii. Hayley is a PhD student in the Gilson/Crabb Laboratory, where she has been continuing her investigations into these proteins.
Phone: 8506 2346
Email: bullen@burnet,edu.au
Jane Goller
Jane completed a Master of Public Health (Monash University) in 2000 a Master of Health Science (Public Health Practice) at Latrobe University (2006) through the Victorian Department of Human Services’ Public Health Training Scheme. Previously Jane worked as a registered nurse in a range of positions, and as a volunteer with Medecins Sans Frontieres in Sudan. Jane has been employed as a research officer at CPH since April 2006, where she works on a number of surveillance and evaluation projects relating to blood-borne viruses and sexually transmitted infections, including coordinating the Victorian Primary Care Network for Sentinel Surveillance on BBVs and STIs and as project officer for establishment of the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service Network of the Australian Collaboration for Chlamydia Enhanced Sentinel Surveillance.
Phone: 8506 2310
Email: jane@burnet.edu.au
Judy Gold
Judy completed her BBiomedSci degree at Monash University in 2003. In 2005 she completed her honours year at the Centre for Population Health conducting a pilot project of chlamydia testing in rural football clubs. Since then she has been employed at CPH as a research assistant, and has been involved in a number of projects based in Australia and the Pacific region. Judy commenced her PhD in January 2008, which focuses on sexual health promotion to young people.
Phone: 8506 2324
Email: judy@burnet.edu.au
Dr Kerstin Leykauf
Kerstin completed her PhD at Philipps University in Marburg, Germany in 2004, working at the German Cancer Research Centre on a project investigating the effects of Connexin 43 phosphorylation on gap junctions and intercellular communication. Kerstin moved to Melbourne in 2007 and commenced a postdoctoral position within Prof. Brendan Crabb’s malaria group at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, before moving with the lab to the Burnet Institute. Kerstin is currently studying signalling events in the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, during the invasion of human red blood cells.
Phone: 9282 2133
Email: leykauf@burnet.edu.au
Dr Lee Schultz
Lee completed her PhD through the Queensland University of Technology in early 2008, investigating the genetic structure and diversity of an endangered rainforest tree species. Lee has been employed as a research assistant at CPH in the International Health Research Group since February 2008, assisting with a study of the genetic variation and structure of vaccine candidate malaria surface antigens.
Phone: 9282 2140
Email: lee.schultz@burnet.edu.au
Maelenn Gouillou
Maelenn completed her MSc. in Biostatistics through the ENSAI (top French graduate “Grande Ecole” engineering school specialising in Statistics) in Rennes, France in 2007, working in the WorldWide Epidemiology Department of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in London. Maelenn has been employed as a statistician at Center for Population health since May 2008.
Phone: 9282 2262
Email: Maelenn@burnet.edu.au
Dr Mauro Azevedo
Mauro completed his PhD in the Department of Parasitology at the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil) in 2006, and worked as a postdoctoral scientist in the same department until January 2008. He has been employed as a post-doctoral scientist in the Gilson/Crabb Laboratory since June 2008, working on a project aimed at providing insight into signalling pathways use by Plasmodium falciparum merozoites to sense the extracellular environment and contact with red blood cells prior to invasion.
Phone: 8506 2346
Email: mauro@burnet.edu.au
Megan Lim
Megan will complete her PhD in late 2008. Her doctoral research relates to using new technologies such as SMS for sexual health promotion and data collection. She has coordinated the “Sex, Drugs and Rock’n’Roll” project at the Big Day Out for the past four years. Megan is also involved in surveillance activities within CPH, particularly the Victorian Primary Care Network for BBVs and STIs.
Phone: 9282 2188
Email: lim@burnet.edu.au
Rachel Sacks-Davis
Rachel received her BA/BSc from The University of Melbourne in 2006 and completed her Honours degree (Arts) at Monash University in 2007. She is employed as a research assistant at CPH, where she works on various projects relating to sexual health and blood-borne virus epidemiology.
Phone: 8506 2356
Email: rachelsd@burnet.edu.au
Rebecca Jenkinson
Rebecca has over ten years experience in public health and epidemiological research. During this time Rebecca has managed a range of research projects, most recently in the fields of sexual health and illicit drug research. Rebecca currently coordinates the Centre for Population Health’s Local HIV Information, Testing and Support (HITS) Pilot Program. Rebecca is completing her PhD examining the epidemiology of psychostimulant use among young people in Australia, and has previously completed a Masters in Epidemiology, a Graduate Diploma in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and a Bachelor of Engineering (Geol).
Phone: 8506 2311
Email: rebeccaj@burnet.edu.au
Rebecca Winter
Rebecca has been employed as a Research Assistant at CPH since early 2005. Rebecca has worked on a variety of research projects including documenting and evaluating various community and custodial interventions relating to drug use and blood borne virus prevention and management. She is due to complete her Master of Public Health in 2009.
Phone: 8506 2328
Email: rwinter@burnet.edu.au
Sally von Bibra
Sally is a registered Nurse/Midwife and an accredited Vaccine Practitioner. She has been employed at the Centre for Population Health since 1996, primarily working on clinical trials around Hepatitis B and C. Since 2005 Sally has worked as a research Nurse on the ATAHC study and a number of small projects relating to Hepatitis C surveillance, Influenza and HIV.
Phone: 9282 2261
Email: svonbibra@burnet.edu.au
Sarah Charnaud
Sarah completed her Bsc (Hons) in Molecular Cell Biology at the University of Southampton, UK, investigating the effects of anti-cancer drugs on tumor cell migration. Since February 2008 been working as a research assistant in the Malaria Laboratory (formerly at WEHI) looking at proteins necessary in the erythrocytic stages of malaria.
Phone: 8506 2346
Email: charnaud@burnet.edu.au
Tana Taechalertpaisarn
Tana completed his BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry at Chulalongkorn University (Thailand) in 2006. Following his graduation, he spent two years working as a research assistant at the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC) in Thailand, working in a malaria group where he was developing new tools for drug screening. He is currently completing a PhD in the Gilson/Crabb Malaria Laboratory of CPH, exploring erythrocyte invasion of malaria parasites.
Phone: 8506 2346
Email: tana@burnet.edu.au
Tim Spelman
Tim completed his BSc in 1999 and his Graduate Certificate in Statistics in 2004. He is currently employed as a statistician with CPH and assists with study design and data analysis across many research projects. He has previously worked with the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and is currently studying medicine at the University of Melbourne.
Phone: 8506 2353
Email: tim@burnet.edu.au
Dr Yung-Hsuan Julie Wang
Julie has experience conducting research projects in primary care settings and projects related to blood-borne viruses. She is also a general practitioner in private practice. Julie joined CPH in May 2005 and is currently completing a Masters degree at Monash University to assess the understanding of hepatitis B virus among Asian community living in Eastern metropolitan Melbourne.
Email: Julie@burnet.edu.au