Associate Professor Alisa Pedrana
Senior Research Fellow; Deputy Discipline Head, Public Health; Eliminate Hepatitis C Australia Coordinator
Working groups

Background
Associate Professor Alisa Pedrana BBmedSc (hons), PhD (Public Health) is a senior research fellow and public health practitioner, who co-leads the Public Health discipline at Burnet Institute. She holds an adjunct research fellow position at Monash University and Co-lead’s the Health Services Research and Implementation Platform at Monash Partners.
Her research focusses on Blood-borne virus/Sexually Transmitted Infections epidemiology and the integration of health interventions and evaluation to inform health services and quality of care improvements. Her current work on Hepatitis C elimination uses implementation science and co-design approaches to strengthen health systems and works closely with community organisations to produce evidence to support decision and policy making.
In her current role as coordinator of the Eliminate Hepatitis C Australia Partnership, a $11.3M national project, she leads a multi-disciplinary team of over 80+ researchers, implementation scientists, government workers, and health services and community organisation members to develop a cohesive national response to increase hepatitis C testing and treatment.
She has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles in leading local and international journals, and delivered over 50 presentations at local, national, and international conferences. Over the past five years she has secured $25 million in competitive research grants and tender funds as a lead investigator.
Qualifications
- 2012: PhD Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- 2005: BA Biomedical Science (Hons), Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- 2004: BA Biomedical Science, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Appointments
- 2020 – present: Senior Advisor, Know COVID19 Executive, Burnet Institute
- 2019 – present: Senior Research Fellow, Disease Elimination Program, Burnet Institute
- 2019 – present: Co-Lead Health Services Research and Implementation Platform, Monash Partners
- 2014 – present: Adjunct Research Fellow, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University
Awards
- 2022: Victorian Near-miss Award recipient
- 2021: Burnet - NHMRC ‘near-miss' fellowship
- 2020: Hepatitis Victoria LiverWELL Individual Contribution Award
- 2014-2017: National Health and Medical Research Council, Early Career Fellowship
- 2013: Monash University Outstanding Support of Peers Award – PhD
- 2013: Monash University Bridging Postdoctoral Fellowship
- 2012: Endeavour Executive Award Holder
- 2012: Scholarship Recipient for the International Union against Sexually Transmitted Infections Conference
- 2012: Monash Postgraduate Publications Award
- 2011: Monash University Postgraduate Travel Grant Award
- 2009: National Health and Medical Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship Award
- 2009: Sidney Myer Health Scholarship Award
- 2009: Burnet Institute Public Health Travel Award
- 2009: Best Oral Presentation: HIV Prevention, Australasian Society for HIV Medicine Australasian HIV/AIDS Conference
- 2005: Runner Up; VicHealth Health Promotion Project Award
Positions
- 2020 – present: Knowledge Translation Lead, Optimise COVID-19 Study
- 2019 - present: EC Partnership Australia Coordinator, Burnet Institute
- 2016 - 2021: EC Partnership Victoria Coordinator, Burnet Institute
- 2014 - 2017: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department Nutrition, Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health
- 2013 - 2018: ICT and Evaluation Advisor, Jhpiego
- 2014 - 2016: mHealth Specialist, SUMMIT Institute of Development
- 2012 - 2015: Visiting Research Fellow and mHealth Advisor, RTI Indonesia
- 2012: Advanced Public Health Officer, Queensland Health, Cairns Public Health Unit, Cairns
Reports + Policy Briefs
2022 (2)
- 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.
-
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.
2021 (6)
- 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
-
The Optimise Study: COVID-19 vaccine intention, and adherence to isolation and quarantine recommendations. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT)
The Optimise Study: COVID-19 vaccine intention, and adherence to isolation and quarantine recommendations. (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 -
2019: Australia’s progress towards hepatitis C elimination annual report
Hepatitis C poses a significant public health concern in Australia, with over 170,000 individuals estimated to be living with chronic hepatitis C infection as of the beginning of 2017. Until the availability of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for all Medicare-eligible Australians with hepatitis C infection on March 1st, 2016, there was a growing population of individuals living with hepatitis C. This trend was accompanied by an increasing burden of liver disease, rising rates of liver cancer, and premature deaths attributed to long-term hepatitis C infection.
2019: Australia’s progress towards hepatitis C elimination annual report
-
2024: Australia’s progress towards hepatitis C elimination annual report
2024: Australia’s progress towards hepatitis C elimination annual 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) -
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
Burnet publications
View 142 moreThe hepatitis C cascade of care for opioid agonist therapy recipients in Australia
Clinical Infectious Diseases
S. Griffin et al
Balancing Efficiency and Accuracy in Hepatitis C Rapid Antibody Testing: Insights From a Cluster Randomised Crossover Trial
Journal of Viral Hepatitis
Katherine Heath et al
Preparing Australia for future pandemics: strengthening trust, social capital and resilience
The Medical Journal of Australia
Shanti Narayanasamy et al
Current projects
View 7 more
Understanding the needs of multicultural communities (VOICE partnership)
TREAT-HEP: community-based viral hepatitis testing and treatment project in Yangon, Myanmar
This project delivers hepatitis C prevention, testing and treatment services and hepatitis B testing and vaccination services.

EXPAND-C: hepatitis C testing and treatment through community pharmacies
Expanding access to hepatitis C testing and treatment using a pharmacy-based model.
Past projects
View 6 more
CHINA-B study: Cancer information compared to Hepatitis B information to INcreAse hepatitis B testing in Melbourne’s Chinese community
This pilot and feasibility study aimed to increase hepatitis B testing in Melbourne’s Chinese community.

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.
News and features
View 2 more
Australia making progress but more needs to be done to eliminate hepatitis C
NHMRC funding boost for hepatitis C elimination
Burnet will use the AUD$5 million to identify new ways of engaging the estimated 70,000 Australians living with Hepatitis C virus to receive care.

New treatment pathways for hepatitis C
Newly published Burnet study demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of simplified treatment of hepatitis C in Myanmar.