
Background
Karly works as a Research Officer in the Global Adolescent Health group, with a specific focus on data analysis and epidemiology. Since starting at the Burnet in 2018 Karly has collaborated on several projects, such as Gender Counts, Developing a Profile of Adolescent Health in Myanmar, and Sexual and Reproductive Health Inequalities in the Asia Pacific report.
Recent contributions to the field of global adolescent health include:
- Co-leading the first profile of adolescent health for countries in WHO Eastern Mediterranean region. Integrating data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, primary survey data, and demographic data for health risks & determinants of health, across 22 countries.
- Developed and operationalised a reporting framework for Non-communicable diseases across the life-course, in Australia & Indonesia.
- Published policy briefs for stakeholders.
After completing her Master of Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Newcastle, Karly relocated to Melbourne and has since held a position at the Centre for Adolescent Health within the Population Health theme, at Murdoch Children's Research Institute. While at MCRI, Karly has worked in project management for several years on domestic and international projects: overseeing protocol & survey development, ethics, participant recruitment, engagement & tracing, data management & analysis.
Qualifications
- 2008: Master of Clinical Epidemiology, University of Newcastle, Australia
- 2006: Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), University of New England, Australia
Appointments
- Melbourne Children’s Global Health Forum, organising committee member
- Casual lecturer and student mentor, The University of Melbourne
Awards
- International Association for Adolescent Health Travel Grant – funded by the Australia Indonesia Centre Health Cluster
Positions
- 2018: Research Officer, Global Adolescent Health, Burnet Institute
- 2010-Current: Research Assistant, Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Burnet publications
View 9 moreGlobal, regional, and national prevalence of child and adolescent overweight and obesity, 1990–2021, with forecasts to 2050: a forecasting study for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021
The Lancet
Karly Cini
The relationship between non-communicable disease risk and mental wellbeing in adolescence: a cross-sectional study utilising objective measures in Indonesia
BMC Public Health
Karly Cini et al
National-level and state-level prevalence of overweight and obesity among children, adolescents, and adults in the USA, 1990–2021, and forecasts up to 2050
The Lancet
Karly Cini
Past projects
View 1 moreA profile of adolescent health in Myanmar
The project for the first time developed a comprehensive profile of the major causes of poor health, risk behaviours and determinants for 10- to 24-year-olds in Myanmar.
Inequalities in sexual and reproductive health in Asia and the Pacific
This work analyses sub-national data for 17 countries to identify inequalities in sexual and reproductive health.

Gender Counts: a quantitative assessment of gender inequality and its impacts on girls and boys in Asia and the Pacific
This project was the first comprehensive analysis of gender inequality among 0- to 18-year olds in low and middle-income Asian and Pacific countries.