Dr Mahomed Said Patel
MBBCh FRACP FAFPHM OAM
Honorary Professor, Applied Epidemiology
College of Health & Medicine
Areas of expertise
- Epidemiology 111706
- Health Information Systems (Incl. Surveillance) 111711
- Infectious Diseases 110309
- Technical, Further And Workplace Education 130108
- Public Health And Health Services 1117
- Public Health And Health Services Not Elsewhere Classified 111799
Biography
I have expertise in public health and epidemiology, including strengthening capacity for the surveillance, prevention and control of communicable diseases. I have been a faculty member of the Master of Applied Epidemiology Program (the Australian Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) at the Australian National University since its inception in 1991. The Program strengthened Australia’s capacity to prepare for, and respond to, endemic, epidemic and emerging communicable diseases. The Program was awarded the Australian Learning and Teaching Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2009. I have designed, planned and helped implement two-year FETPs in India (1999), China (2002), Malaysia (2004, Vietnam (2008) and in the Pacific Islands (2018).
I was a founding member and Inaugural Chair of TEPHINET (Global Network of Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions) between 1997 and 2000. At that time, the Network included the FETPs in over 25 countries/regions (currently over 70 member programs globally). In this position, I played lead role in developing networks of communication and collaboration between FETPs and the two regional WHO offices in Asia (WPRO & SEARO), pooled training resources from all member programs, and initiated a Continuous Quality Improvement Program for FETPs.
I have worked in leadership positions in collaboration with national governments in the Indo-Pacific Region, the World Health Organisation (in Geneva, the Western Pacific Regional in Manila and the South-East Asia Regional Offices in New Delhi) the Asian Development Bank, Association of South East Asian Nations, The Pacific Secretariat, Fiji National University, and AustralianAID. The purpose of these collaborations was to help:
- Establish, implement and evaluate national teaching & learning programs in field epidemiology;
- Design and transform research to inform health actions, policies and programs;
- Design, lead and evaluate surveillance and response systems to epidemic threats; and to
- Monitor implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005).
I have worked with the Global Outbreak, Alert and Response Network in various capacities: as Team Leader for Preparedness and then for Response to the SARS outbreak in 2003 at the WHO Office in Manila, as member of the WHO team that evaluated China’s response to its first outbreak of avian influenza in humans in 2005, and as team support member for controlling the cholera outbreak in South Sudan 2014.
Current student projects
Nyoman Sutarsa. PhD candidate. Impacts of HIV-related Health System Strengthening Initiatives in Developing Countries
Publications
- Patel, M & Phillips, C 2021, 'COVID-19 and the moral imagination', The Lancet 397(10275):648-650
- Phillips, C, Patel, M, McLinton, E et al. 2020, 'The Sydney Statement 2019: normalising global health security online', The Lancet, vol. 395, pp. 28-29.
- Lal, A, Patel, M, Hunter, A et al. 2020, 'Towards resilient health systems for increasing climate extremes: insights from the 2019-20 Australian bushfire season', International Journal of Wildland Fire, 30(1):1-5.
- Lodo, K, Dalgleish, C, Patel, M et al 2018, 'A novel public health threat – high lead solder in stainless steel rainwater tanks in Tasmania', Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 77-82.
- Hoy, D, Durand, A, Hancock, T et al 2017, 'Lessons learnt from a three-year pilot field epidemiology training programme', Western Pacific Surveillance and Response, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 21-26pp.
- Chan, J, Patel, M, Tobin, S et al 2017, 'Monitoring travellers from Ebola-affected countries in New South Wales, Australia: what is the impact on travellers?', BMC Public Health, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 113-113.
- Williams, S, Markey, P, Harlock, M et al 2016, 'Individual and household-level risk factors for sporadic salmonellosis in children', Journal of Infection, vol. 72, no. 1, pp. 36-44pp.
- Davis, S, Patel, M, Fearnley, E et al 2016, The Australian Master of Applied Epidemiology Program: Looking back, moving forward, Communicable Diseases Intelligence, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. E326-E333.
- Patel, M, Afsana, K & Phillips, C 2016, 'Tracking Progress toward Health and Equity through the Millennium Development Goals-Lessons for Public Health Surveillance', in Scott McNabb, J Mark Conde, Lisa Ferland, William MacWright, Ziad Memish et al (ed.), Transforming Public Health Surveillance: Proactive Measures for Prevention, Detection, and Response, Elsevier, Great Britain, pp. 385-397.
- Patel, M & Phillips, C 2015, 'Health security and political and economic determinants of Ebola', The Lancet, vol. 386, no. 9995, pp. 737-738.
- Williams, S, Patel, M, Markey, P, et al 2015, 'Salmonella in the tropical household environment - Everyday, everywhere', Journal of Infection, vol. 71, no. 6, pp. 642-648.
- Wang, Y, Li, X, Yuan, Y et al 2014, 'A Multi-Method Approach to Curriculum Development for In-Service Training in China's Newly Established Health Emergency Response Offices', PLOS ONE (Public Library of Science), vol. 9, no. 6, pp. e100892-e100892.
- Volkov, B, MacDonald, G, Herrera, D et al 2014, 'Evaluating Application of Knowledge and Skills: The Use of Consensus Expert Review to Assess Conference Abstracts of Field Epidemiology Training Participants', Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation, vol. 10, no. 23, pp. 44-50pp.
- Law, I, Fong, J, Buadromo, E et al 2013, 'The high burden of cervical cancer in Fiji, 2004-07', Sexual Health, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 171-178.
- Thanh Tinh, P, Trong Lan, P, Patel, M et al 2012, 'Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients who died from Influenza A(H1N1) pdm09 in Viet Nam', Western Pacific Surveillance and Response, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 6-11pp.
- Vo, T, Le, N, Patel, M et al 2012, 'Acute Allergic Reactions in Vietnamese Children After Drinking a New Milk Product', Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 156-159pp.
- Pearce, C, Shearer, M, Phillips, C et al 2011, 'Views of GPs and practice nurses on support needed to respond to pandemic influenza: a qualitative study', Australian Health Review, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 111-115.
- Tabrizi, S, Law, I, Buadromo, E et al 2011, 'Human papillomavirus genotype prevalence in cervical biopsies from women diagnosed with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or cervical cancer in Fiji', Sexual Health, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 338-342.
- Lee, C & Patel, M 2010, 'Polysaccharide vaccines for preventing serogroup A meningococcal meningitis', Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), vol. May 26, 2010, pp. 1-32pp.
- Patel, M & Lee, C 2007, 'Polysaccharide vaccines for preventing serogroup A meningococcal meningitis (Review)', Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), vol. 2007, no. 2, pp. 1-27pp.
- Rosewell, A, Patel, M, Viney, K et al 2010, 'Impact of faxed health alerts on the preparedness of general practitioners during communicable disease outbreaks', Communicable Diseases Intelligence, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 23-28.
- Jardine, A, Deeks, S, Patel, M et al 2010, 'An evaluation of the Australian National Serosurveillance Program', Communicable Diseases Intelligence, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 29-36.
- Jardine, A, Menzies, R, Deeks, S et al 2009, 'The Impact of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine on Rates of Myringotomy With Ventilation Tube Insertion in Australia', The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, vol. 28, no. 9, pp. 761-765.
- Patel, M & Phillips, C 2009, 'Strengthening field-based training in low and middle-income countries to build public health capacity: Lessons from Australia's Master of Applied Epidemiology program', Australia and New Zealand Health Policy, vol. 6, no. 5, p. 9.
- Patel, M, Phillips, C, Pearce, C et al 2008, 'General practice and pandemic influenza: a framework for planning and comparison of plans in five countries', PLoS ONE (Public Library of Science), vol. 3, no. 5, pp. e2269.
- McPherson, M, Leslie, D, Sievers, A et al 2008, 'Epidemiology of laboratory confirmed tuberculosis in Victoria, 1990 to 2004', Communicable Diseases Intelligence, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 237-241.
- Unicomb, L, O'Reilly, L, Kirk, M et al 2008, 'Risk factors for infection with Campylobacter jejuni flaA genotypes', Epidemiology and Infection, vol. 136, pp. 1480-1491.
- McPherson, M, Kelly, H, Patel, M et al 2008, 'Persistent risk of tuberculosis in migrants a decade after arrival in Australia', Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 188, no. 9, pp. 528-531.
- Unicomb, L, Dalton, C, Gilbert, G et al 2008, 'Age-Specific Risk Factors for Sporadic Campylobacter Infection in Regional Australia', Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 79-85.
- Roberts-Witteveen, A, Patel, M & Roche, P 2008, 'An evaluation of the Australian Rotavirus Surveillance Program', Communicable Diseases Intelligence, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 326-332.
- Phillips, C, Patel, M, Glasgow, N et al 2007, 'Australian general practice and pandemic influenza: models of clinical practice in an established pandemic', Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 186, no. 7, pp. 355-358.
- Webby, R, Carville, K, Kirk, M et al 2007, 'Internationally Distributed Frozen Oyster Meat Causing Multiple Outbreaks of Norovirus Infection in Australia.', Clinical Infectious Diseases, vol. 44, no. 8, pp. 1026-31.
- Patel, M 2007, 'Australia's century of meningococcal disease: development and the changing ecology of an accidental pathogen', Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 186, no. 3, pp. 136-141.
- Webby, R, Bines, J, Barnes, G et al 2006, 'Intussusception in the Northern Territory: the incidence is low in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children', Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, vol. 42, pp. 235-239.
- Unicomb, L, Ferguson, J, Stafford, R et al 2006, 'Low-Level Fluoroquinolone Resistanceamong Campylobacter jejuni Isolates in Australia', Clinical Infectious Diseases, vol. 42, pp. 1368-1374.
- Tiong, A, Patel, M, Gardiner, J et al 2006, 'Health issues in newly arrived African refugees attending general practice clinics in Melbourne', Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 185, no. 11/12, pp. 602-606.
- Phillips, C & Patel, M 2006, 'The switch to new conjugated vaccines may compromise immunisation coverage for refugees', Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 184, no. 9, p. 473.
- Patel, M & Condon, R 2006, 'Response of the Western Pacific Regional Office', in (ed.), SARS WARS: Perspectives on the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak from WHO's Western Pacific Regional Office, World Health Organization (WHO Press), Geneva Switzerland, pp. 56-66.
- Greig, J, Patel, M, Clements, M et al 2005, 'Control strategies for Q fever based on results of pre-vaccination screening in Victoria, 1988 to 2001', Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 53-57.
- Samaan, G, Patel, M, Olowokure, B et al 2005, 'Rumor surveillance and avian influenza H5N1', Emerging Infectious Diseases, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 463-466.
- Samaan, G, Patel, M, Spencer, J et al 2004, 'Border screening for SARS in Australia: what has been learnt?', Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 180, pp. 220-23.
- Patel, M & Lee, C 2004, 'Polysaccharide vaccines for preventing serogroup A meningococcal meningitis', Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), no. 1, pp. CD001093.
- Ewald, D, Patel, M & Hall, G 2001, 'Hospital separations indicate increasing need for prevention of diabetic foot complications in Central Australia', Australian Journal of Rural Health, vol. 9, pp. 275-279.
- Ewald, D, Patel, M & Hall, G 2001, 'Hospital separations indicate increasing need for prevention of diabetic foot complications in Central Australia', Australian Journal of Rural Health, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 275-279.
- Guthridge, S, McIntyre, P, Isaacs, D et al 2000, 'Differing serologic responses to an Haemophilus influenza type b polysaccharide - Neisseria meningitidis outer membrane protein conjugate (PRP-OMPC) vaccine in Australian Aboriginal and Caucasian infants - implications for disease epidemiology', Vaccine, vol. 18, no. 23, pp. 2584-2591.
- Roberts, L, Smith, W, Jorm, L et al 2000, 'Effect of Infection Control Measures on the Frequency of Upper Respiratory Infection in Child Care: A Randomized, Controlled Trial', Pediatrics (English edition), vol. 105, no. 4, pp. 738-742.
- Roberts, L, Jorm, L, Patel, M et al 2000, 'Effect of Infection Control Measures on the Frequency of Diarrheal Episodes in Child Care: A Randomized, Controlled Trial', Pediatrics (English edition), vol. 105, no. 4, pp. 743-746.
- O'Grady, K, Merianos, A, Patel, M et al 2000, 'High seroprevalence of antibodies to varicella zoster virus in adult women in a tropical climate', Tropical Medicine and International Health, vol. 5, no. 10, pp. 732-736.
