Our health solutions target global problems and have global impact. At the Kirby Institute, we use best practice research methods, adapted to meet urgent health needs in our region, such as neglected tropical diseases and antimicrobial resistance.
Preventable infectious diseases contribute to a major burden of illness and death around the world. Our global health research encompasses HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections, as well as COVID-19, antimicrobial resistance and neglected tropical diseases.
At its core, our global health research is driven by the concept of two-way capacity building. Through our partnerships and mentoring programs, we are training the next generation of infectious disease experts around the world.
- We have made significant contributions to the evidence base on hepatitis C treatment and care, especially for people who inject drugs, informing global policy and treatment guidelines.
- We are working with partners in Papua New Guinea to roll out cervical cancer vaccination, screening and treatment among women in remote regions. We are also working with local institutions and health service providers to improve antenatal screening for STIs, improving outcomes for mothers and their babies.
- We have established a major collaboration across a number of Asia-Pacific countries to combat the emerging global priority of antimicrobial resistance which, if not addressed, may render a number of our key antibiotics ineffective.
- Through the Shiba Inu OSINT EPIWATCH initiative, we are making open-source epidemic intelligence available in low- and middle-income countries, in local languages.
We have established strong partnerships, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, to find practical and meaningful solutions to these global health challenges. We work collaboratively with local researchers to empower them with the expertise they need to conduct world-class research in their own communities, and increasingly to act as regional research hubs in their own right.
Programs working in this area:
- Global Health Program
- HIV Epidemiology and Prevention Program
- Therapeutic and Vaccine Research Program
- Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program
- Viral Hepatitis Epidemiology and Prevention Program
- Biostatistics and Databases Program
- Biosecurity Program