Dr Michaela Riddell, B.App Sc (Med LabSc), Grad Dip Epidemiol & Biostats, PhD

Project Manager, Peers for Progress

Michaela started her career as a laboratory scientist specialising in the diagnosis of viral infections. She became interested in the seroepidemiology of hepatitis E and conducted several seoprevalence surveys in Australia and Saudi Arabia. Her research on hepatitis E at the Burnet Institute has contributed to the development of a rapid point of care diagnostic method for this water borne disease prevalent in developing countries, especially Asia. She gained formal training in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Melbourne and was able to combine her laboratory skills with rigorous analytical skills to undertake further studies. Her PhD focussed on the development of alternative methods for the diagnosis and surveillance of measles infection and immunity. These techniques, using dried blood spots, have been incorporated into the World Health Organization manual for the diagnosis of measles and have contributed to the global measles elimination program. Michaela has provided training to scientists in the Pacific and Papua New Guinea to facilitate improved surveillance and diagnosis of measles.

Michaela began working with the International Public Health Unit at Monash University in 2009, further developing her epidemiology skills by managing a complex community based intervention trial of peer support for people with type 2 diabetes. She is interested, once again, in being able to transfer this methodology to countries with poor health infrastructure, building capacity for community involvement in the delivery of health systems and surveillance of communicable and non communicable diseases.