Dr Katie Heath
Senior Research Officer
Working groups

Background
Dr Katie Heath MA MSc DPhil is a Senior Research Officer under the Viral Hepatitis Elimination Program.
Her work centres on equitable healthcare access with a focus on HIV, viral hepatitis and syphilis. She targets health systems and policy reform to improve healthcare access.
Dr Heath completed a PhD in 2019, which focussed on mosquito-borne disease control in the context of climate change. At the Burnet Institute, her work on hepatitis C aims to improve treatment uptake using rapid tests and her work on COVID-19 considered the impact of public health orders.
Dr Heath is a consultant with the World Health Organization under the Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and STIs Programmes, where she develops tools and policy for national strategic planning in maternal and child health. She is also an independent consultant advocating for equitable drug pricing and treatment access.
Qualifications
- 2019 - PhD Zoology, University of Oxford
- 2014 - MSc Epidemiology, Imperial College London
- 2013 - BA Philosophy, University of Cambridge
Positions
- 2022-ongoing – Senior Research Officer, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia
- 2020-2022 – Research Officer, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia
- 2018-ongoing: Consultant, World Health Organization, Department of Reproductive Health & Research, Geneva, Switzerland
- 2018-2018: Environmental Scientist, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), São José dos Campos, Brazil
- 2016: Scientific Enterprise Consultant, The Nasio Trust, Musanda, Western, Kenya
- 2014-2015: Research Officer, International Prevention Research Institute (IPRI), Lyon, France
- 2012: Research Assistant, University of Strathclyde, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Glasgow, UK
Reports + Policy Briefs
2022 (8)
- The Optimise Study: COVID-19 vaccine intention, and adherence to isolation and quarantine recommendations. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) Jin D, Saich F, Heath K, Altermatt A, Wilkinson A, Merner B, Ryan R, Pedrana A, Stoové M, Gibney K, Hellard M. Burnet Institute Optimise Study. September, 2022.
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The Optimise Study: COVID-19 related worry, acceptability of prevention measures and confidence in Government. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) Jin D, Saich F, Heath K, Altermatt A, Merner B, Ryan R, Lusher D, Wang P, Pedrana A, Stoové M, Gibney K, Hellard M. The Optimise Study. August, 2022.
- The Optimise Study: A rapid survey examining frequency, impacts of long COVID and associated concerns. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) Hellard M, Gibney K, Stoové M, Chavez KM, Wilkinson A, Heath K, Altermatt A, Young K, Nguyen T, Gibbs L, Osborne D, Jin D, Saich F. The Optimise Study. August, 2022.
- The Optimise Study: A rapid survey examining the influence of potential cessation of the Victorian pandemic declaration. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) Hellard M, Gibney K, Stoové M, Wilkinson A, Heath K, Altermatt A, Young K, Nguyen T, Jin D, Saich F. The Optimise Study. June, 2022.
- The Optimise Study: COVID-19 testing, test positivity and contacts over time. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) Saich F, Jin D, Heath K, Altermatt A, Merner B, Wilkinson A, Hill S, Stoové M, Gibney K, Hellard M. The Optimise Study. May, 2022.
- The Optimise Study: A rapid survey examining concerns about children returning to school in 2022. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) Hellard M, Gibney K, Hill S, Merner B, Heath K, Altermatt A, Jin D, Young K, Thomas A, Nguyen T, Wilkinson A, Saich F. The Optimise Study. April, 2022.
- The Optimise Study: Summer 2021-2022 Snapshot. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) Hellard M, Gibney K, Stoové M, Young K, Altermatt A, Heath K, Thomas A, Nguyen T, Wilkinson A, Merner B, Hill S, Saich F, Jin D. The Optimise Study. April, 2022.
- The Optimise Study: COVID-19 worry and perceptions about infection and potential severity. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) Saich F, Tse WC, Heath K, Altermatt A, Merner B, Hill S, Jin D, Stoové M, Gibney K, Hellard M. The Optimise Study. March, 2022.
2021 (9)
- The Optimise Study:- Impacts of the COVID-19 response on culturally and linguistically diverse communities. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) Saich F, Heath K, Altermatt A, Menon V, Munari S, Merner B, Hill S, Shearer F, Gibbs L, Coelho A, Fletcher-Lartey S, Stoové M, Gibney K, Hellard M. The Optimise Study. December, 2021.
- COVID-19 testing in schools and attitudes and concerns about the current state of the pandemic. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) Saich F, Heath K, Altermatt A, Thomas A, Nguyen T, Wilinson A, Merner B, Hill S, Fletcher-Lartey S, Gibbs L, Gibbs L, Shearer F, Stoové M, Gibney K, Hellard M. The Optimise Study. November, 2021.
- COVID-19 testing and vaccination. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) Saich F, Heath K, Altermatt A, Munari S, Merner B, Hill S, Stoové M, Gibney K, Hellard M. The Optimise Study. October, 2021.
- The Optimise Study: Vaccination knowledge, attitudes and beliefs. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) Saich F, Kwong E, Heath K, Altermatt A, Munari S. Merner B, Hill S, Stoové M, Griffiths D, Collie A, Lim M, Eddy S, Meagher N, McDougall C, Marinkovic Chavez K, Carpenter L, Fletcher-Lartey S, Price D, Gibbs L, Shearer F, Power R, Cheong M, Caddy C, Pedrana A, Gibney K, Hellard M. The Optimise Study. August, 2021.
- The Optimise Study: Impact of government restrictions on risk mitigation strategies. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) Saich F, Kwong E, Heath K, Altermatt A, Munari S. Merner B, Hill S, Power R, Cheong M, Caddy C, Griffiths D, Collie A, Stoové M, Pedrana A, Gibney K, Hellard M. The Optimise Study. July, 2021.
- The Optimise Study: The impact of COVID-19 on income and finances. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) Saich F, Kwong E, Heath K, Altermatt A, Munari S. Merner B, Hill S, Griffiths D, Collie A, Stoové M, Pedrana A, Gibney K, Hellard M. The Optimise Study. June, 2021.
- The Optimise Study: Gendered differences in coping and responding to COVID-19. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) Saich F, Kwong E, Heath K, Altermatt A, Munari S. Merner B, Hill S, Stoové M, Pedrana A, Gibney K, Hellard M. The Optimise Study. May, 2021.
- The Optimise Study: Social networks and mixing patterns. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) Saich F, Heath K, Altermatt A, Munari S, Merner B, Hill S, Lusher D, Radhitio Sadewo G, Wang P, Pedrana A, Gibney K, Hellard M. The Optimise Study. April, 2021.
- The Optimise Study: Vaccine preparedness. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) Saich F, Heath K, Altermatt A, Merner B, Hill S, Pedrana A, Munari S, Horyniak D, Walker S, Wallace J, Block K, Gibbs L, Gibney K, Hellard M. The Optimise Study. March, 2021.
Reports and other work
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The Optimise Study: A rapid survey examining frequency, impacts of long COVID and associated concerns. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT)
Long COVID is estimated to be costing the Australian economy $3.6 billion annually.1 Partly because of the variation in the definition of long COVID
The Optimise Study: A rapid survey examining frequency, impacts of long COVID and associated concerns. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) -
The Optimise Study: COVID-19 worry and perceptions about infection and potential severity. (PUBLiC HEALTH REPORT)
This report evaluates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on participants’ lives: their main concerns, risk perception, and confidence in the State and Federal Governments’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. This report focusses on trends over the past six months (between September 2021 and February 2022).
The Optimise Study: COVID-19 worry and perceptions about infection and potential severity. (PUBLiC HEALTH REPORT) -
The Optimise Study: Social networks and mixing patterns
This report focuses on: Average overall contacts between October 2020 and March 2021, Average contacts per setting, over time, The impact of contacts on mood and the influence of people's social network on attitudes toward vaccination.
The Optimise Study: Social networks and mixing patterns
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The Optimise Study: A rapid survey examining the influence of potential cessation of the Victorian pandemic declaration. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT)
The Optimise Study: A rapid survey examining the influence of potential cessation of the Victorian pandemic declaration. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) -
The Optimise Study: COVID-19 testing, test positivity and contacts over time. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT)
The Optimise Study: COVID-19 testing, test positivity and contacts over time. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) -
The Optimise Study: The impact of COVID19 on income and finances. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT)
The Optimise Study is a partnership between Burnet Institute and Doherty Institute in collaboration with University of Melbourne, Swinburne University of Technology, Monash University, La Trobe University, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, the Centre for Culture Ethnicity and Health, and the Health Issues Centre.
The Optimise Study: The impact of COVID19 on income and finances. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) -
COVID-19 testing in schools and attitudes and concerns about the current state of the pandemic. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT)
The Optimise Study has followed a cohort of over 700 Victorians since September 2020. A rapid survey was conducted between 28 October and 4 November 2021 to assess optimise participants' views about the best ways to implement COVID-19 testing in schools.
COVID-19 testing in schools and attitudes and concerns about the current state of the pandemic. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) -
The Optimise Study: Vaccine preparedness
This report focuses on:<br/>• Attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines<br/>• Concerns about the vaccines<br/>• Information needs regarding COVID-19 vaccines and the rollout strategy<br/>
The Optimise Study: Vaccine preparedness -
The Optimise Study: A rapid survey examining concerns about children returning to school in 2022. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT)
The Optimise Study has followed a cohort of around 700 Victorians since September 2020. A rapid survey was conducted between 4 and 14 March 2022 to assess Optimise participants' concerns about children returning to school, COVID-19 testing in schools, views about COVID-19 prevention measures taken in schools, and the acceptability of closing schools under certain circumstances.
The Optimise Study: A rapid survey examining concerns about children returning to school in 2022. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) -
The Optimise Study: Summer 2021-2022 Snapshot. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT)
The Optimise Study: Summer 2021-2022 Snapshot. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT)
Burnet publications
View 17 moreBalancing Efficiency and Accuracy in Hepatitis C Rapid Antibody Testing: Insights From a Cluster Randomised Crossover Trial
Journal of Viral Hepatitis
Katherine Heath et al
Same-visit hepatitis C testing and treatment to accelerate cure among people who inject drugs (the QuickStart Study): a cluster randomised cross-over trial protocol
BMJ Open
Joseph Doyle et al
WHO hepatitis C elimination targets: the global equity challenge
The Lancet. Gastroenterology & hepatology
Katherine Heath, Andrew Hill
Past projects

The elimination of hepatitis C as a global public health threat
This project addresses critical knowledge gaps in Australian and global efforts to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health threat by 2030.

The Optimise Study: Optimising Isolation, Quarantine and Distancing for COVID-19
This project aims to find out how Victorians are experiencing COVID-19 and responding to the measures introduced to stop the spread of the virus.