Australia’s trusted immunisation experts
08 November 2024 | NewsExpressions of interest now open: join NCIRS’ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reference GroupRead the full article
Tailoring Immunization Programmes (TIP) uses behavioural insights to improve vaccination rates in communities where existing efforts have not been effective. Solutions are based on in-depth analysis of the coverage gaps and qualitative research on why people do and don’t vaccinate, and are co-designed with the service providers and users in mind.
In this seminar Professor David Durrheim (University of Newcastle & Director of Health Protection, Hunter New England Health) gave an overview of why TIP is required if measles elimination is to be maintained; Associate Professor Julie Leask (University of Sydney) presented on the European approach to TIP; and Patrick Cashman (Hunter New England LHD Immunisation Coordinator) provided an overview of the Maitland TIP pilot and early results.
A link to the video resources from this seminar can be requested by emailing ncirs.schn@health.nsw.gov.au
David Durrheim is Director of Health Protection, Hunter New England and Conjoint Professor of Public Health Medicine at the University of Newcastle. His particular expertise is in vaccinology, communicable diseases surveillance and response, epidemiology and biopreparedness. In the past decade he has served as an expert adviser and consultant to a number of World Health Organization (WHO), regional and national health programmes in the African and Pacific Regions, particularly on novel surveillance and outbreak response strategies, and on the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization. David is currently active on two SAGE working groups: measles immunisation and Ebola vaccines. Professor Durrheim chairs the Australian National Polio Certification Committee and the WHO Western Pacific Regional Measles Elimination Verification Commission. He is a member of the Scientific Organizing Committee of the Global Vaccine and Immunisation Research Forum. This forum sets and monitors the global vaccine research agenda.
Julie Leask is a social scientist and associate professor in the Sydney Nursing School at the University of Sydney. She is also a visiting senior research fellow at the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance. Julie has academic qualifications in nursing and midwifery, a Master of Public Health (USYD, 1998) and PhD on vaccine risk communication (USYD, 2002). She currently leads a program of research on vaccination acceptance with a focus on primary care and community settings. She has had advisory roles with the WHO Europe Regional Office, the US President’s Cancer Panel, the US Institute of Medicine, the US National Vaccine Program Office, the Australian Academy of Science and the Council of the National Health and Medical Research Council. In 2015 she won the PHAA NSW branch Public Health Impact Award and the Sax Institute Research Action Award.
Patrick Cashman has worked in Victoria, Tasmania, NT and NSW as a RN in infectious diseases, ICU, ED, remote health and public health and is currently the Immunisation Coordinator at Hunter New England LHD NSW. Operational and research interests include nurse immuniser education, Aboriginal immunisation and adverse event following immunisation (AEFI) clinical follow up and surveillance. Patrick manages the Vaxtracker AEFI active surveillance project.