Background

Dr Anna Bowring is a public health researcher committed to informing impactful health programs serving vulnerable and marginalised populations in resource-limited settings. In particular, her work supports data use for program learning and impact with a focus on community-based interventions for HIV and blood-borne viruses among key populations.

After completing her PhD in 2015, which focused on understanding HIV risk and access to sexual health services among men with bisexual behaviour in Laos, she moved to Cameroon to take up a position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health with Associate Professor Stefan Baral. In Cameroon she worked with John Hopkins, CARE and partners to support the implementation of evidence-based HIV prevention, testing and treatment services for female sex workers and men who have sex with men.

Currently Anna supports implementation research informing community-based treatment of hepatitis C in Myanmar.

Appointments

• 2016-present: Research Fellow, Burnet Institute
• 2017-2019 Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Program Impact Specialist, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health

Positions

• 2016: coEC Project Manager, Burnet Institute
• 2009-2015: Research Assistant, Burnet Institute

Qualifications

• 2016: PhD, Monash University, Australia
• 2010: MPH, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
• 2007: BBiomedSci, Monash University, Australia

Awards

• 2017 – 2020 - Early Career Fellowship, National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
• 2020, 2019, 2014 - Scholarship recipient to AIDS/IAS Conferences
• 2018 - Scholarship recipient to INTEREST Conference, Kigali, Rwanda
• 2016 - Ian Potter Foundation travel grant
• 2014 - Highly commended poster, 18th IUSTI Asia-Pacific Congress, Bangkok, Thailand
• 2012 – 2015 - Australian Postgraduate Award
• 2013 - Scholarship recipient to ICAAP Conference
• 2011, 2013 - Scholarship recipient to The Australasian Sexual Health Conference
• 2005 – 2009 - Partial scholarship: Monash Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Scholarship

Projects (7)

Current (5)

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  Assessing the feasibility of an integrated HIV cascade of care surveillance system in Myanmar (ACCESS Myanmar)

• 

  co-EC Study: Eliminating hepatitis C/HIV coinfection

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  Hepatitis C: Community Testing and Treatment (CT2)

• 

  The Optimise Study: Recruitment Information

• 

  Tools for the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (Kenya, Myanmar and Senegal)

Publications (28)

2020 (2)

• Unmet Need for Family Planning and Experience of Unintended Pregnancy Among Female Sex Workers in Urban Cameroon: Results From a National Cross-Sectional Study.
  Bowring AL, Schwartz S, Lyons C, Rao A, Olawore O, Njindam IM, Nzau J, Fouda G, Fako GH, Turpin G, Levitt D, Georges S, Tamoufe U, Billong SC, Njoya O, Zoung-Kanyi AC, Baral S
  Glob Health Sci Pract. 2020 Mar; 8(1):82-99
• HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis for female sex workers: ensuring women's family planning needs are not left behind.
  Bowring AL, Ampt FH, Schwartz S, Stoové MA, Luchters S, Baral S, Hellard M
  J Int AIDS Soc. 2020 Feb; 23(2):e25442

2019 (1)

• Comparing short versions of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in a military cohort.
  Watterson J, Gabbe B, Dietze P, Bowring A, Rosenfeld JV
  J R Army Med Corps. 2019 Oct; 165(5):312-316

2018 (2)

• Features of successful sexual health promotion programs for young people: findings from a review of systematic reviews.
  Bowring AL, Wright CJC, Douglass C, Gold J, Lim MSC
  Health Promot J Austr. 2018 Apr; 29(1):46-57
• The association between intentional overdose and same-sex sexual intercourse in a cohort of people who inject drugs in Melbourne, Australia.
  O'Keefe D, Bowring A, Aitken C, Dietze P
  Subst Use Misuse. 2018 Feb; 53(5):755-762

2017 (2)

• Anorectal swabs as a marker of male-to-male sexual exposure in STI surveillance systems.
  Ampt FH, El Hayek C, Agius PA, Bowring AL, Bartnik N, Van Gemert C, Fairley CK, Chow EPF, Bradshaw CS, Stephens N, Lim MSC, Hellard ME
  Epidemiol Infect. 2017 Sep; 145(12):2530-2535
• "We Might Get Some Free Beers": Experience and Motivation for Transactional Sex Among Behaviorally Bisexual Men in Vientiane, Laos.
  Bowring AL, Pasomsouk N, Hughes C, van Gemert C, Higgs P, Sychareun V, Hellard M, Power R
  Arch Sex Behav. 2017 May; 46(4):1047-1059

2016 (2)

• "I am yet to encounter any survey that actually reflects my life": a qualitative study of inclusivity in sexual health research.
  Carrotte ER, Vella AM, Bowring AL, Douglass C, Hellard ME, Lim MS
  BMC Med Res Methodol. 2016 Jul; 16(1):86
• HIV and Sexual Risk Among Men Who Have Sex With Men and Women in Asia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
  Bowring AL, Veronese V, Doyle JS, Stoové M, Hellard M
  AIDS Behav. 2016 Jan; 20(10):2243-2265

2015 (4)

• Factors Influencing Access to Sexual Health Care Among Behaviorally Bisexual Men in Vientiane, Laos: A Qualitative Exploration.
  Bowring AL, Pasomsouk N, Higgs P, Sychareun V, Hellard M, Power R
  Asia Pac J Public Health. 2015 Nov; 27(8):820-834
• It goes both ways: a cross-sectional study of buying and selling sex among young behaviourally bisexual men in Vientiane, Laos.
  Bowring AL, van Gemert C, Vongsaiya K, Hughes C, Sihavong A, Phimphachanh C, Chanlivong N, Toole M, Hellard M.
  Sex Health. 2015 Jul; 12(5):405-10
• Sexual identity, same-sex partners and risk behaviour among a community-based sample of young people in Australia.
  Bowring AL, Vella AM, Degenhardt L, Hellard M, Lim MS
  Int J Drug Policy. 2015 Feb; 26(2):153-161
• Young people's comparative recognition and recall of an Australian Government Sexual Health Campaign.
  Lim MS, Gold J, Bowring AL, Pedrana AE, Hellard ME
  Int J STD AIDS. 2015 Jan; 26(6):398-401

2014 (6)

• Young risk takers: Alcohol, illicit drugs, and sexual practices among a sample of music festival attendees.
  Jenkinson R, Bowring A, Dietze P, Hellard M, Lim MSC
  J Sex Trans Dis. 2014 Dec; 2014:e357239
• Setting the scene: locations for meeting sex partners among behaviorally bisexual men in vientiane, laos, and opportunities for health promotion.
  Bowring AL, van Gemert C, Vongsaiya K, Hughes C, Sihavong A, Phimphachanh C, Chanlivong N, Agius PA, Toole M, Hellard M
  AIDS Educ Prev. 2014 Dec; 26(6):538-553
• Early age at first sex: associations with sexual health and sociodemographic factors among a sample of young music festival attendees in Melbourne.
  Vella AM, Agius PA, Bowring AL, Hellard ME, Lim MS
  Sex Health. 2014 Aug; 11(4):359-365
• Reattendance and chlamydia retesting rates at 12 months among young people attending Australian general practice clinics 2007-10: a longitudinal study.
  Weaver ER, Bowring AL, Guy R, van Gemert C, Hocking JS, Boyle DI, Merritt T, Heal C, Lau PM, Donovan B, Hellard ME
  Sex Health. 2014 Jul; 11(4):366-369
• Chlamydia among Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people attending sexual health services, general practices and Aboriginal community controlled health services.
  Ward J, Goller J, Ali H, Bowring A, Couzos S, Saunders M, Yau P, Kaldor JM, Hellard M, Guy RJ, Donovan B
  BMC Health Serv Res. 2014 Jul; 14(1):285
• Identifying risk: a comparison of risk between heterosexual-identifying bisexual men and other bisexual men in vientiane, laos.
  Bowring A, van Gemert C, Vongsaiya K, Hughes C, Sihavong A, Phimphachanh C, Chanlivong N, Toole M, Hellard M
  AIDS Educ Prev. 2014 Apr; 26(2):109-121

2013 (4)

• Characteristics of a Sexual Network of Behaviorally Bisexual Men in Vientiane, Lao PDR, 2010.
  van Gemert C, Vongsaiya K, Hughes C, Jenkinson R, Bowring AL, Sihavong A, Phimphachanh C, Chanlivong N, Toole M, Hellard M
  AIDS Educ Prev. 2013 Jun; 25(3):232-243
• Comparing short versions of the AUDIT in a community-based survey of young people.
  Bowring AL, Gouillou M, Hellard M, Dietze P
  BMC Public Health. 2013 Apr; 13(1):301
• Chlamydia testing and retesting patterns at family planning clinics in Australia.
  Bowring AL, Goller JL, Gouillou M, Harvey C, Bateson D, McNamee K, Read C, Boyle D, Jordan L, Wardle R, Stephens A, Donovan B, Guy R, Hellard M
  Sex Health. 2013 Jan; 10(1):74-81
• An urgent need to scale-up injecting drug harm reduction services in Tanzania: Prevalence of blood-borne viruses among drug users in Temeke District, Dar-es-Salaam, 2011.
  Bowring AL, Luhmann N, Pont S, Debaulieu C, Derozier S, Asouab F, Toufik A, van Gemert C, Dietze P, Stoové M
  Int J Drug Policy. 2013 Jan; 24(1):78-81

2012 (4)

• Measuring the accuracy of self-reported height and weight in a community-based sample of young people.
  Bowring AL, Peeters A, Freak-Poli R, Lim MS, Gouillou M, Hellard M
  BMC Med Res Methodol. 2012 Nov; 12(1):175
• Trends in sexual behavior, testing, and knowledge in young people; 2006-2011.
  Lim MS, Bowring AL, Gold J, Aitken CK, Hellard ME
  Sex Transm Dis. 2012 Nov; 39(11):831-834
• Missed opportunities--low levels of chlamydia retesting at Australian general practices, 2008-2009.
  Bowring AL, Gouillou M, Guy R, Kong FY, Hocking J, Pirotta M, Heal C, Brett T, Donovan B, Hellard M; on behalf of the ACCESS Collaboration.
  Sex Transm Infect. 2012 Mar; 88(5):330-334
• Know your limits: Awareness of the 2009 Australian alcohol guidelines among young people.
  Bowring AL, Gold J, Dietze P, Gouillou M, Van Gemert C, Hellard ME
  Drug Alcohol Rev. 2012 Mar; 31(2):213-223

2011 (1)

• What's your "porn star" name? A novel method of identifying research participants.
  Lim MS, Bowring A, Gold J, Hellard ME
  Sex Transm Dis. 2011 Feb; 38(2):150-151

News Articles (7)

2016 (5)

• NHMRC grants for Burnet researchers
• NHMRC grants for Burnet research
• Survey reveals pornography's mixed impacts
• Hep C co-EC study showcased at AIDS 2016
• Towards an HIV Cure 2016: global strategy released

2014 (1)

• AIDS 2014: Conversation Hour at Burnet Institute

2011 (1)

• Burnet sexual health research showcased in Canberra