Professor Fiona Russell
Role:
Group Leader/Senior Principal Research Fellow
Phone:
+61 (3) 9345 4077
Email:
Available for Student Supervision
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Professor Fiona Russell
Biography:
Professor Fiona Russell (BMBS, Grad Dip(Clin Epi), Dip Paeds, MPHTM, FRACP, PhD) is a paediatrician, epidemiologist and translation researcher. She is Director of the Child and Adolescent Health PhD Program, Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, and is a member of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Child and Neonatal Health Research and Training; and Group Leader for Asia-Pacific Health research, MCRI. Her research provides evidence for policy decisions regarding immunisation and child health in low- and middle-income countries.
Awards:
- 2020-2024: Investigator Grant, NHMRC
- 2019: Frank Fenner Award, Australasian Society of Infectious Diseases
- 2017-2018: Translating Research into Practice Fellowship, NHMRC
- 2017: Excellence in Mid-Career Research, Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne
- 2016: Research Fellowship, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne
- 2012-2015: NHMRC Early in Career Fellowship
- 2012: Chancellor's and Dean's Prize for Excellence in a PhD thesis, The University of Melbourne
- 2011: Cottrell Fellowship, Royal Australasian College of Physicians
- 2008- 2009: NHMRC Scholarship
- 2008: Early in Career Public Health Award in Immunisation, Public Health Association of Australia
- 2007: Quintiles Fellowship, Royal Australasian College of Physicians
- 2002: Kate Campbell Scholarship, Royal Children’s Hospital Travelling Scholarships
- 2001: Maynard Rennie Award for Rural Physicians, Royal Australasian College of Physicians
- 2000: MPH Student Travel Scholarship, Victorian Branch of Public Health Association of Australia
- 2000: Young Investigator Award, Royal Australasian College of Physicians
Research:
Professor Russell's research focuses on novel vaccine impact evaluations, understanding herd immunity, prevention of mother to infant transmission of infections, and vaccine preventable disease surveillance. Her research has changed global, regional and country policy; is cited in the WHO pneumococcal conjugate vaccine Position Statements (2012, 2019); has led to a paradigm shift in the number and timing of vaccine doses used; and has led to new vaccine introduction in the region. The results from her work have been presented to WHO and Gavi.
She has been a regular advisor to WHO Immunization and Vaccine Research technical advisory groups (2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018) on global PCV policy and research directions. She has undertaken more than 30 international consultancies (UNICEF, WHO) to advise governments, donors (DFAT, Asia Development Bank) immunisation and child health policy (Asia, Pacific and Africa).
She leads the NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Pneumococcal Disease Control in the Asia-Pacific region with many partners from the Asia-Pacific region. She is co-Editor of the weekly COVID-19 kids vaccine research evidence update; is a member of the WHO MNCAH COVID-19 schools research technical advisory group; and led the Victorian state government's COVID-19 school outbreak analysis which has provided recommendations for opening up schools safely. She advises DFAT and WHO on COVID-19 vaccine use in the Asia-Pacific region.
Projects:
Current projects
Past projects
- Centre of Research Excellence for Pneumococcal Disease Control in the Asia-Pacific
- PCV effectiveness against antimicrobial resistance, Lao PDR
- PCARRIAGE - Global pneumococcal carriage review
- COVID-19 vaccines in the Asia-Pacific region
- COVID-19 in children and schools
- Bulabula MaPei trial, Fiji - Preventing young infant infections using azithromycin in labour
- Effect of a catastrophic health event on the household, Lao PDR
Past projects
- Meningococcal & Surveillance Support Project, Fiji
- PneuCAPTIVE- Nasopharyngeal carriage surveillance in children hospitalised with respiratory illness or pneumonia to evaluate the direct and indirect effects of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine programs in Lao, Mongolia and PNG
- Modelling the Effect of Social Contact on Pneumococcal Carriage
- New Vaccine Evaluation Project, Fiji
- Evaluation of the impact of national pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduction in Lao PDR
- Pneumococcal Vaccinology Centre for Research Excellence
- Vietnam reduced dose pneumococcal clinical trial
- Examination of the impact of alternative pneumococcal vaccination schedules on immunological memory and nasopharyngeal carriage in infants 3-5 years of age, Fiji
- CIE on the NHMRC Pneumococcal Vaccinology Centre for Research Excellence
- Evaluating a screening tool to identify neonates at high risk of mortality and prematurity in Ethiopia
- WHO pneumonia reviews
- Fiji Pneumococcal Project
Top publications
Dunne EM, et al., Russell FM. Effect of ten-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduction on pneumonia hospital admissions in Fiji: results from four annual cross-sectional carriage surveys. Lancet Glob Health. 2018 Dec;6(12):e1375-e1385.
Reyburn R, et al., Russell FM. Effect of ten-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduction on pneumonia hospital admissions in Fiji: a time-series analysis. Lancet Glob Health. 2020 Nov 20;S2214-109X(20)30421-6.
Russell FM, Mulholland EK. Pneumococcal vaccines in Nepal. Lancet Infect Dis. 2019 Feb;19(2):115-116.
Chan J, et al., Russell FM. Levels of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine coverage and indirect protection against invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumonia hospitalisations in Australia: An observational study. PLOS Medicine. 2021 Aug 3; 18(8):e1003733.
Chan J, et al., Russell FM. Direct and indirect effects of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on pneumococcal carriage in children hospitalised with pneumonia from formal and informal settlements in Mongolia: an observational study. Lancet Regional Health Western Pacific. 2021 Jul 12; 15:100231.
Weaver R, et al., Russell FM. The effectiveness of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine against hypoxic pneumonia in children in Lao People's Democratic Republic: An observational hospital-based test-negative study. Lancet Regional Health Western Pacific. 2020 Sep 20;2:100018.
von Mollendorf C, et al., Russell FM. Evaluation strategies for measuring pneumococcal conjugate vaccine impact in low-resource settings. Expert Rev Vaccines. 2021 Aug 11.
Neal EFG, et al., Russell FM. Associations between ethnicity, social contact, and pneumococcal carriage three years post-PCV10 in Fiji. Vaccine. 2020 Jan 10;38(2):202-211.
Neal EFG, et al., Russell FM. A comparison of pneumococcal nasopharyngeal carriage in very young Fijian infants born by vaginal or caesarean delivery. JAMA Netw Open. 2019 Oct 2;2(10):e1913650.
Hume-Nixon M, et al., Russell FM. A Systematic Review and meta-analysis of the effect of administration of azithromycin during pregnancy on perinatal and neonatal outcomes. Lancet EClinicalMedicine. 2021 Sep 9;40:101123.
Other recent publications
PCV
Chan J, Lai JYR, Nguyen CD, Vilivong K, Dunne EM, Dubot-Peres A, Fox K, Hinds J, Moore KA, Nation ML, Pell CL, Xeuatvongsa A, Vongsouvath M, Newton PN, Mulholland EK, Satzke C, Dance DAB, Russell FM. Indirect effects of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on pneumococcal carriage in children hospitalised with acute respiratory infection despite heterogeneous vaccine coverage: an observational study in Lao People's Democratic Republic. BMJ Glob Health. 2021 Jun 9; 6(6):e005187.
Carr OJJ, Vilivong K, Bounvilay L, Dunne EM, Lai JYR, Chan J, Vongsakid M, Chanthongthip A, Siladeth C, Ortika B, Nguyen CD, Mayxay M, Newton PN, Mulholland EK, Do LAH, Dubot-Peres A, Satzke C, Dance DAB, Russell FM. Nasopharyngeal Pneumococcal Colonization Density is Associated with Severe Pneumonia in Young Children in the Lao PDR. J Infect Dis. 2021 May 11;jiab239.
Lindholm DE, Licciardi PV, Ratu FT, Mulholland EK, Nguyen CD, Russell FM. Predictors of antibody persistence to the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in healthy Fijian infants at 12 months of age. Vaccine. 2020 Jul 14;38(33):5095-5099.
COVID-19
Koirala A, Goldfeld S, Bowen AC, Choong C, Ryan K, Wood N, Winkler N, Danchin M, Maccartney K, Russell FM. Lessons learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic: Why Australian schools should be prioritised to stay open. J Paediatr Child Health. 2021 Jun 8.
Russell FM, Greenwood B. Who should be prioritised for COVID-19 vaccination? Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2020 Nov 3:1-5.
Flanagan KL, Best E, Crawford NW, Giles M, Koirala A, Macartney K, Russell FM, Teh BW, Wen SC. Progress and Pitfalls in the Quest for Effective SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Vaccines. Front Immunol. 2020 Oct 2;11:579250.
Rotavirus
Thomas S, Donato CM, Covea S, Ratu FT, Jenney AWJ, Reyburn R, Sahu Khan A, Rafai E, Grabovac V, Serhan F, Bines JE, Russell FM. Genotype diversity before and after the introduction of a rotavirus vaccine into the National Immunisation Program in Fiji. Pathogens. 2021 Mar 17; 10(3):358.
Jenney A, Reyburn R, Ratu T, Tuivaga E, Rafai E, Devi R, Bright K, Temple B, Tikoduadua L, Kado J, Bines JE, Thomas S, Kirkwood C, Sahu Khan A, Fox K, Kama M, Mulholland EK, Russell FM. Direct and indirect effects of rotavirus vaccine on diarrhoea, five years following national introduction in Fiji. Lancet Regional Health Western Pacific. 2020 Nov 20;15:31.
HPV
Toh ZQ, Russell FM, Garland SM, Mulholland EK, Patton G, Licciardi PV. Human papillomavirus vaccination after COVID-19. JNCI Cancer Spectr. 2021 Apr; 5(2):pkab011.
Toh ZQ, He L, Chen C, Huang A, Russell FM, Garland SM, Reyburn R, Ratu T, Tuivaga E, Frazer IH, Mulholland EK, Licciardi PV. Measurement of human papillomavirus-specific antibodies using a pseudovirion-based ELISA method. Front Immunol. 2020 Oct 28;11:585768.
Batmunkh T, Dalmau MT, Munkhsaikhan ME, Khorolsuren T, Namjil N, Surenjav U, Toh ZQ, Licciardi PV, Russell FM, Garland SM, Mulholland EK, von Mollendorf C. A single dose of quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is immunogenic and reduces HPV detection rates in young women in Mongolia, six years after vaccination. Vaccine. 2020 Jun 2;38(27):4316-4324.
Funding:
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Australia
- MCRI
- National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australia
- The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USA
- Victorian Department of Health
- Thrasher Research Fund, USA
- Wellcome Trust, UK
- World Health Organization (WHO)