Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program
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| The Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program was formed in 2003 and is a rapidly expanding area of clinical research and development within the NCHECR. The program focuses on therapeutic research in viral hepatitis and the activities of the program can be divided in to 3 main areas. Clinical research including clinical trials forms the main part of the program’s work. The second component is the recently established viral hepatitis sample repository, HepBank, for molecular virology research. The third component is epidemiological research through data linkage studies and mathematical modelling.
Particular areas of interest for the program are the natural history of newly acquired Hepatitis C (HCV) and treatment of acute and chronic HCV particularly in the setting of injection drug use. The program also has a strong interest in HIV/HCV and HIV/HBV coinfection. Further, a recent focus on HCV reinfection, superinfection and protective immunity has seen the expansion of laboratory based viral hepatitis research.
The Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program liaises with all other programs within the NCHECR, as well as with hepatologists, infectious disease physicians and primary care networks nationwide.
Future aims of the program include continuing to design and coordinate multi-centre clinical research trials in viral hepatitis and the expansion of the research networks in Australia, Asia and internationally. Additionally, an expansion of the sample repository and molecular virological research is planned. |
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Gregory Dore BSc, MB BS, MPH, PhD, FRACP
Program Head
Gregory Dore is Head of the Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program. He is also an Infectious Diseases Physician at St Vincent’s Hospital, in Sydney Australia. Research interests include natural history and therapeutic strategies for acute and chronic HCV infection, including coinfection with HIV. He is Vice-President of the Australasian Society for HIV Medicine, a NHMRC Practitioner Fellow and member of a NHMRC Program Grant team researching HIV and HCV vaccines and immunopathogenesis.
gdore@nchecr.unsw.edu.au
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Gail Matthews MbChB MRCP (UK) FRACP PhD
Senior Lecturer
Gail Matthews trained as an HIV/sexual health specialist in London and subsequently as an Infectious diseases Physician in Australia. She currently holds a position as a clinical academic in HIV/Infectious Diseases at St Vincent’s Hospital and is a senior lecturer in the Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program. She has a particular interest in HIV/ viral hepatitis coinfection and completed her PhD on therapeutic strategies in HIV/HBV coinfection.
gmatthews@nchecr.unsw.edu.au
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Tanya Applegate BSc (Hons), PhD
Senior Lecturer
Tanya Applegate recently joined NCHECR to contribute to the Immunovirology aspects within the Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program. She completed her PhD at the Faculty of Medicine of UNSW at the Johnson & Johnson Research Laboratories, and has a background in gene therapy. Tanya’s research interests include pharmacogenomics, molecular virology and genetic diagnostics.
tapplegate@nchecr.unsw.edu.au
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Rosie Thein MD, MPH, PhD
Visiting Fellow
Research interests include infectious disease epidemiology, mathematical modelling, economic evaluation, evidence synthesis, measuring health-related quality of life and utilities, and health services research, with particular interest in using mathematical modelling to assess the impacts of behavioural changes, treatment, and prevention strategies on the health and economic burden of viral hepatitis and coinfection with HIV. More recent interests include using administrative data and model-based analysis to estimate long-term costs.
rosie.thein@utoronto.ca
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Jason Grebely BSc, PhD
Senior Lecturer
Jason Grebely is a Senior Lecturer in the Viral Hepatitis Clinical Program. He completed his his BSc in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and his PhD in Pharmacology at the University of British Columbia. Research interests include epidemiology, natural history and therapeutic strategies for acute and chronic HCV infection in injection drug users.
jgrebely@nchecr.unsw.edu.au
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Pip Marks BSc., MPH (Hons)
Clinical Trials Manager
11 years experience in the conduct and management of clinical trials including cardiology, oncology and viral hepatitis. She currently oversees all clinical research of the program and is involved in new study development. Research interests include clinical research workforce evaluation and capacity development.
pmarks@nchecr.unsw.edu.au
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Ineke Shaw BSc (Biomed), Grad Cert Biostatics
Clinical Project Coordinator
Ineke Shaw joined NCHECR in 2006. She has worked in Clinical Research for the past 6 years and coordinated projects in Chronic Hepatitis C, Neuropathic pain and pain models, Stroke, CDAD, HIV, Japanese Encephalitis vaccines and patient rehabilitation post MVA .She is currently developing a viral hepatitis sample repository.
ishaw@nchecr.unsw.edu.au
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Barbara Yeung CNS, BHSc (Nursing), MPH
Clinical Project Coordinator
Formerly a clinical nurse. Worked in clinical research for nine years. Previously coordinated clinical trials in rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, Parkinson’s disease, pain management, and healthy volunteers. Currently, coordinating the Australian Trial in Acute Hepatitis C.
byeung@nchecr.unsw.edu.au
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Brendan Jacka BSc (Hons)
Senior Research Assistant
Brendan completed his BSc (Hons) at UNSW in 2006 and has since worked in research and diagnostic laboratories in the blood borne virus field. He is involved in many of the research projects underway in the newly established VHCRP Laboratory, including developing assays for mixed infections of HCV, characterizing viral and host mutations that infer resistance/susceptibility to treatment, and identifying transmission of HCV amongst HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients.
bjacka@nchecr.unsw.edu.au
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Amanda Erratt AssDipMRA
Research Assistant, part-time
Joined NCHECR in 2007. Experienced in oncology clinical trials. Currently assisting with the ETHOS Project (enhancing HCV treatment uptake in opioid settings) and the COLD Study (HIV/HBV Coinfection).
aerratt@nchecr.unsw.edu.au
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Maryam Alavi Bsc, Msc (Clin Epi)
Research Assistant
Recently joined NCHECR. Currently assisting in a study designed to investigate changes in psychiatric health in acute hepatitis C patients treated with interfron. Research interests include genetics & molecular epidemiology and infectious disease epidemiology.
Msalehialavi@nchecr.unsw.edu.au
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Jennifer Moore
Administrative Assistant - Currently on maternity leave.
jmoore@nchecr.unsw.edu.au
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Sarah Field
Administrative Assistant
sfield@nchecr.unsw.edu.au
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