Senior Research Officer
BSc MPH PhD
Dr Carlson is an early career mixed-methods social researcher based at Telethon Kids Institute, leading and designing research that seeks to understand how to improve access to and understanding about vaccination. Dr Carlson holds a PhD from The University of Sydney on Attitudes about and access to influenza vaccination in Australia: experiences of parents of children hospitalised for acute respiratory infection. Currently, Dr Carlson is leading and collaborating on projects that seek to improve routine vaccine uptake in Aboriginal children in Perth metropolitan (a project called Moort Vax Waangkiny) as well as all children in regional and remote Western Australia.
As an early career researcher, Dr Carlson has already made a significant contribution to the field, both nationally and internationally. This has been recognised through receipt of the Telethon Kids Institute ‘Illuminate Award’ in 2022. Dr Carlson’s work has informed Australian resources about immunisation, such as the Commonwealth Department of Health’s Questions about Vaccination booklet, the Sharing Knowledge About Immunisation influenza resources, the NSW Health ‘winter wellness’ campaigns, and information developed for health care providers about vaccines. She also developed factsheets about COVID-19 vaccination and diseases, which led to the development of Telethon Kids Institute’s ‘COVID-19 Resource Hub.’ Her work has also informed COVID-19 and influenza vaccination programs in Australia, and through her consultancy work with the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, she led the development of the operational guidance of acceptance and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines in Europe. She has also assisted with work that sought to understand reasons for low childhood vaccine uptake in various European countries.
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Publications
July 2023
Randomised controlled trials of behavioural nudges delivered through text messages to increase influenza and COVID-19 vaccines among pregnant women (the EPIC study): study protocol
Influenza and COVID-19 infections during pregnancy may have serious adverse consequences for women as well as their infants. However, uptake of influenza and COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy remains suboptimal. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a multi-component nudge intervention to improve influenza and COVID-19 vaccine uptake among pregnant women.
Published research Immunisation Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases COVID-19 Maternal healthFebruary 2024Developmental origins of psycho-cardiometabolic multimorbidity in adolescence and their underlying pathways through methylation markers: a two-cohort study
Understanding the biological mechanisms behind multimorbidity patterns in adolescence is important as they may act as intermediary risk factor for long-term health. We aimed to explore relationship between prenatal exposures and adolescent's psycho-cardiometabolic intermediary traits mediated through epigenetic biomarkers, using structural equation modeling (SEM).
Published research Diabetes and Obesity Youth Mental HealthFebruary 2024Nudging towards COVID-19 and influenza vaccination uptake in medically at-risk children: EPIC study protocol of randomised controlled trials in Australian paediatric outpatient clinics
Children with chronic medical diseases are at an unacceptable risk of hospitalisation and death from influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections. Over the past two decades, behavioural scientists have learnt how to design non-coercive 'nudge' interventions to encourage positive health behaviours. Our study aims to evaluate the impact of multicomponent nudge interventions on the uptake of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines in medically at-risk children.
Published research Immunisation Influenza Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases COVID-19February 2024Parental awareness and attitudes towards prevention of respiratory syncytial virus in infants and young children in Australia
To assess parental awareness of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and the level of acceptance of future RSV prevention strategies. A cross-sectional online survey was implemented targeting "future" and "current" parents of children aged ≤5 years in Australia.
Published research Influenza Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Vaccine Trials Group Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Respiratory viral infectionsJanuary 2024Attitudes, perceptions, and experiences of Western Australians towards vaccine safety surveillance systems following COVID-19 vaccines: A qualitative descriptive study
Concerns regarding adverse events following immunisation are a barrier to vaccine uptake. Health professionals use vaccine safety surveillance systems (VSSSs) to monitor vaccines and inform the public of safety data. With little known about public attitudes, perceptions, and experiences with VSSS, we examined them in the context of COVID-19 vaccinations in Western Australia.
Published research Immunisation Infectious Diseases Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases COVID-19October 2023"Fighting the pandemic!" Western Australian pharmacists' perspectives on COVID-19 vaccines: A qualitative study
In Western Australia, community pharmacists are authorized to administer a range of vaccines without a prescription. Since mid-July 2021, pharmacists can also administer Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines. Little is known about how pharmacists think and feel about giving and receiving COVID-19 vaccines and how they discuss it with patients.
Published research Immunisation Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases COVID-19September 2023West Australian parents’ views on vaccinating their children against COVID-19: a qualitative study
Australian children and adolescents were among the last local cohorts offered COVID-19 vaccines. Despite promising initial uptake, coverage subsequently plateaued, requiring further efforts to improve access and build parents’ recognition of the importance of COVID-19 vaccination.
Published research Immunisation Infectious Diseases Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases COVID-19 -
Education and Qualifications
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Awards/Honours
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Active Collaborations