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Doctor Caroline van Gemert

Co-Head, Pacific Infectious Diseases (Operational Research, Surveillance and Resilience) Working Group
Background

Dr van Gemert co-heads the Pacific Infectious Diseases (Operational Research, Surveillance and Resilience) Working Group, working across both the International Health and Public Health disciplines at the Burnet Institute.

Dr van Gemert is an epidemiologist with expertise in infectious disease surveillance, operational research capacity exchange, and sexually transmitted infections and viral hepatitis control and response in Australia and in Pacific Island Countries and Territories.

Between 2020 and 2022, Dr van Gemert was based in Vanuatu with the Vanuatu Ministry of Health as an epidemiologist and provided technical guidance for the COVID-19 response. Prior to this, she spent over ten years with the Burnet Institute and other organisations focusing on infectious diseases surveillance in Australia and in resource-poor setting with a focus on marginalised and hard-to-reach populations. 

She has been involved in several research projects in Asia and the Pacific, including in Kiribati, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Vanuatu, Thailand and Laos, and has consulted for WHO, international NGOs and national and state level health departments. 

Dr van Gemert has published over 45 journal publications, including over 15 first author publications, and delivered almost 20 conference presentations.

Qualifications
  • 2018: PhD, Department of Epidemiology and Preventative Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne
  • 2010: Master of Applied Epidemiology, Australian National University, Canberra
  • 2010: Master of Public Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne
  • 2006: Graduate Diploma of International Health, Monash University, Melbourne
  • 2002: Bachelor of Health Sciences / Bachelor of Arts, La Trobe University, Melbourne
Appointments
  • 2020 – ongoing, Member, Vanuatu Ministry of Health Ethics Committee
  • 2020 – ongoing, Member, Vanuatu Health Technical Advisory Group
  • 2020 – ongoing, Member, Vanuatu Hepatitis B Taskforce
Awards
  • 2024: Burnet Institute, FREDA Seed Funding, Primary Investigator
  • 2023: Thrasher Research Fund, Primary
  • 2022: Burnet Institute, FREDA Seed Funding, Co-Investigator
  • 2020: University of Melbourne, Early Career Researcher Grant
  • 2020: Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics Staff Development, Travel and Education Grant Virtual Award, 2020
  • 2019: NHMRC Early Career Research Fellowship Award
  • 2018: National Health and Medical Research Council Early Career Research Fellowship
  • 2015: Endeavour Research Fellowship, Australian Government Department of Education
  • 2014: Sexual Health Society of Victoria Travel Grant
  • 2013: Senior Medical Staff Prize for Clinical Research, Alfred Poster Week
  • 2013: Australian Postgraduate Award scholarship for PHD study, 2013
  • 2011: Ian Churchill Travel Fellowship, 2011
  • 2011: Best poster in its theme at the Australasian HIV/AIDS Conference
  • 2011: Partial scholarship (registration), International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific
  • 2008: Scholarship for the Master of Applied Epidemiology (Field Epidemiology Training Program), Australian National University, funded by the Australian Department of Health and Ageing, 2008
Positions
  • 2024–present: Co-Head, Pacific Infectious Diseases (Operational Research, Surveillance and Resilience) Working Group
  • 2023–present: NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow, Burnet Institute
  • 2020–2022: Epidemiologist, Vanuatu Health Program, DT-Global (formerly Cardno International)
  • 2019–2022: NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow, School of Global and Population Health, The University of Melbourne
  • 2010–2019: Senior Research Officer, Centre for Population Health, Burnet Institute
  • 2013–2017: Academic Tutor, Department of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine, Monash University
  • 2009–2010: Epidemiology Scholar, Centre for Population Health, Burnet Institute and Australian National University
  • 2008: Intern, World Health Organisation, Western Pacific Regional Office (Apia, Samoa)
  • 2007–2008: Australian Youth Ambassador for Development, Samoa AIDS Foundation (Apia, Samoa)
  • 2005–2007: Health Promotion Project Officer, Moreland Community Health Service
  • 2007: Research Assistant, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute