Upcoming events

There are no upcoming events in the Asia-Pacific Vaccine Research Seminar Series. Stay tuned for future events.

Past events

Using data tools to monitor vaccine misinformation and adverse events

15 May 2024

Monitoring vaccine misinformation and adverse events (AEs) following immunisation is crucial to ensure the accuracy of public health information and vaccine safety. False or misleading information can cause confusion, reduce uptake of vaccines, and contribute to risk-taking behaviours that can harm health. It can also lead to mistrust in health authorities and undermine the public health response.

Leveraging data tools for monitoring misinformation and AEs can enhance transparency, facilitate evidence-based communication, improve reporting and assist in better public health outcomes in the face of evolving challenges.

Australia Awards Fellowship Vaccine Research Training Masterclasses

13-16 May 2024

Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) is hosting the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Australia Awards Fellows for the third Vaccine Research training masterclass for immunisation policy decisions.

This masterclass will continue to build on previous vaccine research training and share learnings using case-based examples from fellows, MCRI, World Health Organization (WHO) and partners.

We will be covering vaccine trials, vaccination across the life course, vaccine policy and health economics, and vaccines in outbreak settings. We will also be discussing the future development of the Asia-Pacific Vaccine Research Network and identify research needed to address immunisation policy questions. 

World Pneumonia Day: Championing the fight to stop pneumonia

Monday 13 November 2023

This webinar is to mark World Pneumonia Day which occurs annually on the 12th of November. World Pneumonia Day was established by the Stop Pneumonia Initiative in 2009 to raise awareness of the toll of pneumonia and to advocate for global action to protect against, help prevent and effectively treat pneumonia.

Pneumonia remains a leading killer of children and adults globally. Despite available interventions, pneumonia claims the lives of 800,000 children per year predominantly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. 

Childhood deaths from pneumonia are preventable using vaccines, diagnostic tools and treatments, but issues of availability, access, and cost remain obstacles in LMICs. 


Australia Awards Fellowship vaccine research training program

Thursday 26 October – Sunday 29 October 2023

Our partner at Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, held the second part of our Australia Awards Fellowship vaccine research training program.


COVID-19 vaccine mandates – the good, the bad and the ugly

19 September 2023

During the pandemic, COVID-19 vaccine mandates were commonly used worldwide. In Australia, adults and teenagers needed to be vaccinated to keep their job or enter public places such as cafés, movie theatres and gyms. In Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim society, vaccine mandates were implemented despite no Halal vaccine being available.

In this seminar, we will have a vaccinologist, physician, bioethicist and political scientist speaking on the implications of mandates in Indonesia and Australia. We will hear about the research being undertaken to understand the effectiveness and consequences of Australia's COVID-19 vaccine mandates. We will also be joined by a panel of DFAT Australian Award Fellows who will discuss COVID-19 vaccine mandates and the ramifications of this policy in their context.


Australia Awards Fellowship Vaccine Research Training Masterclasses

14-19 September 2023

Murdoch Children's Research Institute is hosting the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Australia Awards Fellows for Vaccine Research Training Masterclasses for immunisation policy decisions. The masterclasses will focus on south-to-south learning to help find solutions to common vaccine policy and immunisation challenges. Each masterclass will cover various topics including basic vaccinology and using research evidence for immunisation policy making, using a case-based approach. Through discussion, we aim to identify priority vaccine research needs for the region and the elements needed to establish an Asia-Pacific Vaccine Research Network. If these masterclasses interest you, please join us virtually via Zoom.


Why do we need a new tuberculosis vaccine?

27 July 2023

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world's leading infectious killers.

Although it is curable, drug-resistant TB is a growing problem. Millions of infected people are either not diagnosed or not treated, putting them at risk of dying and/or infecting others. While the BCG vaccine is effective in preventing severe forms of TB in young children, it does not adequately protect adults and adolescents, who account for most transmission.

In this webinar, we heard about why we need to develop a new vaccine, the limitations of the current vaccine, what new vaccines are on the horizon and the challenges associated with their development.

Watch the webinar

The topics addressed in this webinar include:

  • Burden of tuberculosis and multidrug resistant tuberculosis
  • Limitations of BCG vaccine and challenges of developing a new vaccine
  • What new vaccines are on the horizon?

About the Asia-Pacific Vaccine Research Network

Murdoch Children’s Research Institute has been awarded an Australian Awards Fellowship grant by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide training in vaccine research which informs immunisation policy and establish an Asia-Pacific Vaccine Research Network. This is in collaboration with Universitas Gadjah Mada Indonesia. The Fellows include National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group members, vaccinologists, vaccine researchers, clinicians and Ministry of Health personnel from across seven countries in the region. This Asia-Pacific Vaccine Research Network Seminar Series is part of an ongoing professional development program.