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. 

• 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.