Background

Ellen completed a Bachelor of Arts and Science at Monash University in 2016 with interests in History, Human Rights, Genetics and Microbiology. She went on to complete her Honours degree at the Burnet within the Malaria and Infectious Disease Epidemiology Group in 2018. Her Honours research explored the prevalence and dynamics of the sexually transmissible infections, Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma spp., in pregnant and postpartum women participating in the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies study in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

Since completing her Honours, Ellen has remained a member of the Malaria and Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Group, firstly working as a Research Assistant and now as a PhD Candidate at the University of Melbourne.

Ellen’s PhD project will involve the design of a novel serosurveillance tool for malaria and mosquito exposure utilising Anopheles’ salivary antigens. This approach will be used as an epidemiological tool to explore transmission heterogeneity throughout the Greater Mekong Sub-region and evaluate the efficacy of vector control interventions such as personal repellent and outdoor residual spraying.

Positions

• 2019-ongoing: PhD Candidate, Malaria and Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Group, Burnet Institute
• 2018-19: Research Assistant, Malaria and Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Group, Burnet Institute
• 2018: Honours Student, Malaria and Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Group, Burnet Institute

Qualifications

• 2019-ongoing: PhD, The University of Melbourne, Australia
• 2018: BSc (Hons), Monash University, Australia
• 2012-16: BSc, Monash University, Australia
• 2012-16: BA, Monash University, Australia

Projects (5)

Current (5)

• Evaluation of Malaria Case-Based Reporting using a mobile phone application in Myanmar
  Evaluating the effectiveness of a mobile phone-based application to improve the reporting and surveillance of malaria in Myanmar
• Host and parasite factors that predict Artemisinin Resistance reservoirs
  Understanding how population immunity seeds transmission of malaria infectious reservoirs, including drug resistant parasites
• Impact of declining transmission on immunity and risk of malaria rebound
  As malaria transmission falls, it is critical to understand how changing immunity affects risk of malaria.
• Optimal community-delivered malaria elimination models for the Greater Mekong Sub-region
  Developing an elimination model that is acceptable, operational, and cost-effective across GMS countries
• Serological surveillance to identify mosquito exposure and malaria transmission
  Identifying and understanding “hot spots” and “hot pops” of malaria transmission are crucial to target interventions for elimination.