Research Opportunities
Below is an outline of NCHECR staff who are able to provide supervision, and an outline of their research interests.
Post graduate students who are interested in being supervised or co-supervised by a member of NCHECR staff should contact the relevant staff member or the Post Graduate Coordinator Dr Handan Wand (using the online enquiry form).
Prof David Cooper
BSc(Med) MB BS Syd, MD, DSc UNSW, FRACP, FRCPA, FRCP, AO
Clinical research in HIV/AIDS including antiretroviral therapy, immune-based therapies, primary HIV infection, vaccines, cellular immune response to HIV, chemoprophylaxis and other biomedical methods of prevention of HIV infection and access and implementation of antiretroviral therapy in the developing world.
Prof John Kaldor
PhD (Calif)
Epidemiology and prevention of HIV infection, hepatitis C infection and other sexually transmissable diseases and blood-borne viruses; Epidemiology and prevention of cancer; Epidemiological methods.
Dr Janaki Amin
BSc, MPH, PhD (UNSW)
HIV/AIDS and viral hepattiis epidemiology and clinical trials are of primary interest
Dr Christoph Boesecke
MD
Currently conducting clinical trials with new combinations of antiretroviral therapies
Dr David Brockman
MPH, BMed, BA
Curently researching Indigenous sexual health and blood borne viruses; Resilience in the Indigenous community; Participatory Action Research; Indigenous Research Protocols; development of compurer assisted self interview (CASI) in Indigenous communities.
Ms Dianne Carey
BPharm MPH (Syd)
Treatment and adverse effects of antiretroviral therapy including HIV lipodystrophy
Prof Basil Donovan
MB BS, MD, DipVen, FAFPHM, FRCPI, FAChSHM
In the field of sexual health, key populations warrant special attention as a public health priority. Such populations include sex workers, men who have sex with men, indigenous people living in remote settings, and prisoners. The molecular epidemiology of specific sexually transmissible infections (STIs) enables new insights into the spread and containment of STIs in populations.
A/Prof Gregory Dore
BSc MB BS UNSW, MPH, FRACP, PhD (UNSW)
Clinical epidemiology and clinical research in the areas of viral hepatitis and HIV/viral hepatitis co-infection are broad research focus areas. More specifically, natural history of hepatitis C infection and natural history and therapeutic research in HIV/viral hepatitis co-infection. Other specific areas of research interest include quality of life in hepatitis C, HIV-related hepatotoxicity, and modelling of the epidemiology of hepatitis C.
Dr Fraser Drummond
MB ChB (Aberd)
I have an ongoing interest in management strategies for HIV ART. I am also involved in sexual health management and various strategies for this.
A/Prof Sean Emery
BSc, PhD (Brunel)
The evaluation of new treatments, new treatment strategies and biomedical preventive measures for HIV infection. The design and implementation of clinical research programs and projects to generate quality evidence to advise healthcare providers and policy makers. To balance high tech medicine with the reality of limited resources in countries where needs are greatest.
Prof Andrew Grulich
MB BS (Adel), PhD (UNSW), MScEpid (Lond), DipObst (Flinders), FAFPHM, DRACOG
Epidemiology and prevention of HIV infection; biomedical methods of HIV prevention; malignancies associated with HIV infection and other immunodeficient states; epidemiology of lymphoma; epidemiological methods.
Dr Sarah Huffam
MB BS, MPH&TM, FACSHP, FRACP
HIV - AIDS, Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology
Dr Fengyi Jin
MB, MPH, PhD
Epidemiology and prevention of HIV and other sexually transmissible infections
A/Prof Tony Kelleher
MBBS, PhD, FRACP, FRCPA
The laboratory concentrates on comparing the interaction between virus and the immune system in treated and untreated individuals with HIV-infection in an attempt to define protective immune responses with the objective of applying these observations to rational treatment and vaccine design. We have started an exciting project on transcriptional gene silencing of HIV-1 by siRNAs. We have developed new methodologies for describing Treg cells and antigen specific cells.
Dr Stephen Kerr
BPharm(Hons), MIPH, PhD
Rational drug use is about the clinical use of the right drug, for the right patient, for the right indication, at the right dose, for the right duration, at the lowest cost to the patient and the community. Using drugs in this way helps to optimise the safety and quality of health care. One important first step is the conduct of well conceived clinical trials. Since 1996, the HIV-Netherlands Australia Thailand Research collaboration has been conducting clinical trials of anti-retroviral agents in Thailand, providing information on safety and efficacy of these drugs in Asian people.
A/Prof Matthew Law
MA Oxon, MSc Kent PhD (UNSW)
Broad interests in clinical research and epidemiology, in the areas of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C virus. Specific recent interests include the Australian HIV Observational Database, a national database of antiretroviral treatment uptake and outcomes, biostatistical methodology and mathematical models of infectious disease epidemics.
A/Prof Lisa Maher
BA Ql'd, MA PhD (Rutgers)
Ethnographic and epidemiological studies of blood-borne viral infection and transmission among injecting drug users, risk behaviours, social, cultural and environmental contexts of drug-related harm, participatory action research with PLWHA, IDUs and vulnerable communities.
Dr Sarah Pett
BSc Hons, MBBS Hons, DTM&H, MRCP(UK), FRACP
In the field of clinical trials, immunotherapy and new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of HIV-1-infection in the developed and developing world.
Dr Garrett Prestage
BA (Hons) Sociology, PhD Sociology (UNSW)
Sexuality and sexual identity; Transmission, prevention and treatment of HIV other sexually transmissible infections; Gay men's health. Projects include both cross-sectional surveys and cohort studies of health and behaviour, as well as interview-based qualitative studies.
Dr Rebekah Puls
BSc Hons PhD (UWA)
Currently conducting clinical trials with HIV vaccines and new combinations of antiretroviral therapies, both in Australia and internationally.
Dr David Regan
PhD
The mathematical modelling group at the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical research develops models for evaluating intervenitons aimed at controlling or preventing the transmission of transmissible diseases and, in particular, sexually transmitted infections such as HIV, Chlamydia and human papillomavirus.
Dr Claire Vajdic
BOptom, PhD
The epidemiology of cancer in relation to immunodeficient states, in particular HIV/AIDS infection, organ transplantation and primary immune deficiency. The epidemiology and prevention of cancer. Epidemiological methods, in particular exposure assessment. Ongoing interest in malignancies associated with sun exposure, in particular, melanoma of the eye. Emerging interest in the surveillance of STIs, in particular chlamydia.
Dr David Wilson
BInfTech, BAppSc(Hons), PhD
I am a biomathematical infectious disease research scientist. The research (i) develops and studies transmission dynamics models to predict the effect of, and to design, epidemic health policy control strategies (HIV/AIDS); (ii) increases understanding of host immunity to HIV and potential vaccine targets by analysing experimental macaque data; (iii) develop, predict and test hypotheses for the cellular development of infectious diseases (specifically HIV and Chlamydia).
Dr Alexander Wodak
MB BS Melb, FRACP, MRCP, FAFPHM (RACP)
Prevention and treatment of alcohol and drug related problems; drug policy reform; methadone maintenance treatment.