Research Assistant and PhD Candidate
BSc (Hons), MPH, MIPH
Stephanie is an enthusiastic Early Career Researcher with an interest in infectious disease epidemiology. She has a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours, researching the immunisation attitudes of vaccine hesitant parents for her thesis, and a double Masters in Public Health and International Public Health focusing on infectious disease control. Stephanie has held roles in several public health sectors including investigating drowning epidemiology, injury prevention and rheumatic heart disease control.
Stephanie also served as a Policy Adviser to the Western Australian Minister for Health and Mental Health gaining a valuable skills insight into the intersection between public health and politics. She is presently a PhD Candidate and Research Assistant in the END RHD Program, Telethon Kids Institute and School of Medicine, University of Western Australia. Her research focuses on environmental health interventions to prevent Streptococcus pyogenes infections in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
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Publications
September 2023
Searching for Strep A in the clinical environment during a human challenge trial: a sub-study protocol
Streptococcus pyogenes (also known as group A Streptococcus , Strep A) is an obligate human pathogen with significant global morbidity and mortality. Transmission is believed to occur primarily between individuals via respiratory droplets, but knowledge about other potential sources of transmission via aerosols or the environment is limited. Such knowledge is required to design optimal interventions to control transmission, particularly in endemic settings.
Published research Infectious Diseases Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Invasive Streptococcus A Disease Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Strep A Pathogenesis and Diagnostics Strep A & ARF TherapeuticsDecember 2023HipHop2SToP a community-led health promotion initiative empowering Aboriginal youth in the Kimberley region of Western Australia: a process evaluation
For millennia, Aboriginal people's ways of knowing, doing and being were shared through art, song, and dance. Colonisation silenced these ways, affecting loss of self-determination for Aboriginal people. Over the past decade in Australia, hip-hop projects have become culturally appropriate approaches for health promotion.
Published research Skin Infections Aboriginal Health Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Healthy Skin and ARF PreventionDecember 2023Subcutaneous infusion of high-dose benzathine penicillin G is safe, tolerable, and suitable for less-frequent dosing for rheumatic heart disease secondary prophylaxis: a phase 1 open-label population pharmacokinetic study
Since 1955, the recommended strategy for rheumatic heart disease secondary prophylaxis has been benzathine penicillin G injections administered intramuscularly every 4 weeks. Due to dosing frequency, pain, and programmatic challenges, adherence is suboptimal. It has previously been demonstrated that BPG delivered subcutaneously at a standard dose is safe and tolerable and has favorable pharmacokinetics, setting the scene for improved regimens with less frequent administration.
Published research Immunisation Rheumatic Heart Disease Subsite: END RHD Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Strep A & ARF TherapeuticsNovember 2023The epidemiology of superficial Streptococcal A (impetigo and pharyngitis) infections in Australia: A systematic review
Streptoccocal A (Strep A, GAS) infections in Australia are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality through both invasive (iGAS) and post-streptococcal (postGAS) diseases as well as preceding superficial (sGAS) skin and throat infection. The burden of iGAS and postGAS are addressed in some jurisdictions by mandatory notification systems; in contrast, the burden of preceding sGAS has no reporting structure, and is less well defined.
Published research Academic Biostatistics Skin Infections Aboriginal Health Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Strep A & ARF TherapeuticsApril 2023Qualitative assessment of healthy volunteer experience receiving subcutaneous infusions of high-dose benzathine penicillin G (SCIP) provides insights into design of late phase clinical studies
Secondary prophylaxis to prevent rheumatic heart disease (RHD) progression, in the form of four-weekly intramuscular benzathine benzylpenicillin G (BPG) injections, has remained unchanged since 1955. Qualitative investigations into patient preference have highlighted the need for long-acting penicillins to be delivered less frequently, ideally with reduced pain.
Published research Rheumatic Heart Disease Subsite: END RHD Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Strep A & ARF TherapeuticsDecember 2022Study protocol for controlled human infection for penicillin G against Streptococcus pyogenes: a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomised trial to determine the minimum concentration required to prevent experimental pharyngitis (the CHIPS trial)
Regular intramuscular benzathine penicillin G injections have been the cornerstone of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) secondary prophylaxis since the 1950s. As the pharmacological correlate of protection remains unknown, it is difficult to recommend changes to this established regimen. Determining the minimum effective penicillin exposure required to prevent Streptococcus pyogenes infection will accelerate development of new long-acting penicillins for RHD prevention as well as inform opportunities to improve existing regimens. The CHIPS trial will address this knowledge gap by directly testing protection afforded by different steady state plasma concentrations of penicillin in an established model of experimental human S. pyogenes pharyngitis.
Published research Rheumatic Heart Disease Infectious Diseases Infectious Disease Implementation Research Subsite: END RHD Strep A & ARF TherapeuticsOctober 2022Skin Health in Northern Australia
Achieving healthy skin requires the prevention of infectious diseases that affect the skin. Prevention activities range from environmental health improvements to address inequities in living situations, through to community-wide treatment programs to reduce transmission and improve skin health.
Published research Skin Infections Aboriginal Health Subsite: END RHD Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention -
Education and Qualifications
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Awards/Honours
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Active Collaborations