COVID-19 and influenza vaccination update 2023

Associate Professor Karina A Top
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics – Dalhousie University (Canada)

Karina Top’s research focuses on vaccine safety, including surveillance; the clinical management of patients who have experienced adverse events following immunisation; and vaccine safety and effectiveness in immune-compromised patients and in pregnancy. 

Karina is an investigator at the Canadian Center for Vaccinology, an investigator with the Canadian Immunization Monitoring Program Active (IMPACT) and principal investigator of the Special Immunization Clinic Network in the Canadian Immunization Research Network.

Dr Ben Smith
Staff Specialist, Immunisation – NCIRS

Ben Smith is an infectious diseases specialist and general paediatrician. He joined NCIRS in January 2021 and is involved in vaccine clinical trials and policy work.

Professor Allen Cheng
Director, Infectious Diseases – Monash Health

Allen Cheng is an infectious diseases physician and Professor in the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash University. He is a member of ATAGI and the National Respiratory Infections Surveillance Committee.

Previously, he was Chair of the Advisory Committee for Vaccines (2017–22), Co-Chair of ATAGI (2018–21), Deputy Victorian Chief Health Officer (2020–21) and a member of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (2020–22). Allen is a past president of the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (2020–22).

Dr Kasia Bolsewicz
Research Fellow, Social Science – NCIRS

Kasia joined NCIRS in 2019. She brings doctoral-level qualifications and work experience in qualitative research methods and public health, social and behavioural sciences, as well as a cross-cultural background in chronic illness management research (cancer, HIV, dementia), public health policy and evaluation. She is passionate about capacity building and has experience in teaching and training for various audiences, including culturally and linguistically diverse populations. 

Kasia has also been working with four local health districts in NSW using the WHO’s Tailoring Immunization Programmes to identify areas of low childhood vaccine coverage and to gain a greater understanding of factors that influence childhood immunisation.

Associate Professor Jane Frawley
Associate Professor, School of Public Health – University of Technology Sydney (UTS)

Jane Frawley is an Associate Professor in Public Health and a member of the Australian Centre of Public and Population Health Research within the Faculty of Health at UTS.

Jane’s current work relates to maternal and child health and includes a range of projects focusing on immunisation acceptance, decision-making, health communication and maternal, infant and child outcomes from severe disease during pregnancy.

Dr Ketaki Sharma
Staff Specialist, Immunisation – NCIRS 

Ketaki Sharma is a general paediatrician and staff specialist at NCIRS. She holds a conjoint appointment as Clinical Lecturer in the Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health at the University of Sydney. Ketaki is a member of the NCIRS team that provides scientific and technical support to ATAGI. She is also part of the New South Wales Immunisation Specialist Service. 

Ketaki is undertaking research on optimising vaccination during pregnancy to protect newborn infants from vaccine-preventable illnesses. She also has a special interest in vaccination of people with immunocompromise.