Dr Gail Cross

Infectious Diseases Specialist and Researcher

Working groups

Tuberculosis Elimination and Implementation Science group

gail.cross@burnet.edu.au

Background

Dr Gail Cross is an infectious diseases physician and clinical researcher at Burnet Institute and Monash Health, with a primary focus on tuberculosis (TB) and clinical trials. Her work spans translational and clinical research, with a particular interest in host-directed therapies, biomarker discovery, and improving how tuberculosis treatment response is measured.

Dr Cross completed her PhD at Kirby Institute, where she led an international, multi-centre randomised controlled trial investigating adjunctive rosuvastatin as host-directed therapy for drug-susceptible tuberculosis. This work, published in high-impact journals including The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Nature Communications and Journal of Infectious Diseases, where she integrated advanced imaging and biomarker analyses to better understand treatment response and disease resolution.

She has extensive experience in the design and delivery of complex clinical trials, including Phase I–III studies, and has contributed to multiple trials in various infectious diseases. Her research focuses on developing more precise and clinically meaningful endpoints for TB treatment, including the use of PET-CT imaging, immunological profiling, and novel biomarkers to guide treatment duration and improve patient outcomes.

Dr Cross is actively involved in national and international TB research networks, including the Australian Clinical TB Research Network (ACTnet) Steering Committee, and has established the Asia-Pacific TB Journal Club to support regional collaboration and capacity building. She is also engaged in multiple global working groups focused on TB. Her broader research interests include precision medicine approaches to infectious diseases, and the development of clinical trial platforms to accelerate therapeutic innovation. She has published widely in leading journals and is a regular reviewer for major international medical journals.

Qualifications

2025: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Australia
2015: Fellowship of the Australasian College of Physicians (Infectious Diseases), Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Australia
2006: Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), Monash University, Australia
2000: Bachelor of Science, University of New South Wales, Australia

Appointments

2022–present: Infectious Diseases Specialist, multiple tertiary hospitals, Victoria, Australia
2024–present: Primary Investigator, Doherty Clinical Trials, Australia
2022–present: Clinical Trials Lead (Infectious Diseases), Burnet Institute, Australia
2024–present: Adjunct Clinical Senior Fellow (Level C), Monash University, Australia
2017–2022: Assistant Professor, National University of Singapore, Singapore
2019–2022: Adjunct Teaching Faculty, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
2025–present: Founder and Convenor, ACTnet Asia-Pacific Regional TB Journal Club, Australia
2023–present: Steering Committee Member, Australian Clinical TB Research Network (ACTnet), Australia
2026–present: Member, TB Contacts PET-CT Working Group, University College London (UK) and University of Cape Town (South Africa)
2025–present: Member, STRAP Immunomodulation Working Group, Australia
2020–2021: Member, National COVID-19 Therapeutics Working Group, Singapore
2020–present: Member, Low-dose Topotecan for COVID-19 Working Group, Singapore
2018–2020: Member, Department of Medicine Safety Committee, National University Hospital, Singapore
2017–2021: Member, Antimicrobial Stewardship Programme Committee, National University Hospital, Singapore

Awards

2022–2025: David Cooper Scholarship (Inaugural Recipient), Kirby Institute, Australia
2022: Team Recognition Award, National Healthcare Group, Singapore
2022: Reviewer Award (Silver), Annals of the Academy of Medicine Singapore
2018: Travel Scholarship, International AIDS Conference
2006: Dr Gilbert M Davis Medical Scholarship, Monash University, Australia
2002: Scholarship, Rural Workforce Agency of Victoria
1999: Prize in Anatomy, Monash University, Australia
1999: Prize in Physiology, Monash University, Australia
1999: Sir John Monash Dean’s Scholarship, Monash University, Australia
1999: Scholarship, Cancer Council Victoria
1998: Science Scholars Programme, Monash University, Australia