Dr Katrina Roper
Areas of expertise
- Epidemiology 111706
- Infectious Diseases 110309
- Health Information Systems (Incl. Surveillance) 111711
- Microbiology 0605
- Public Health And Health Services 1117
Research interests
* Infectious diseases and outbreak response
* Workforce development and epidemiology training programs
* Laboratory strengthening, biosafety and biosecurity, deployable laboratory capacity
* Civil-military interoperability in humanitarian response
Biography
I hold an Honorary Senior Lecturer position at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health. I was a member of faculty on the Australian Field Epidemiology Training Program (Masters of Applied Epidemiology) for two years (2016-2017). I graduated as a field epidemiologist from the program in 2008, having completed my placement at the Centre for Disease Control in the Northern Territory of Australia (2006-2007) where I worked on trachoma eye disease, injury and safety, diabetes and hepatitis C surveillance.
Prior to joining the ANU staff, I worked for six years with the World Health Organization, three years as a consultant and three as a staff member with the Laboratory Strengthening and Biosafety team based in Lyon, France. In that time, I worked in the Middle East, South East Asia and Africa, supporting countries to implement International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) through laboratory strengthening activities. I deployed three times to Sierra Leone in 2014-2015 as part of the Ebola Viral Disease Outbreak Resposnse, during which time I provided Infection Prevention and Control training to nurses and other health care workers so that they could work safely in Ebola Treatment Units as well as conducting active case finding and case investigation within the Freetown community.
Previously, I worked at the Australian Government Department of Health as Coordinator of OzFoodNet and Assistant Director of Vaccine Preventable Diseasese Surveillance; as a Risk Assessor Microbiologist with Food Standards Australia New Zealand and as Scientist at the Therapeutic Goods Administration Laboratories.
In my early academic career, I worked at James Cook University studying the crown-of-thorns starfish for my PhD research project and the viruses that affect aquacultured prawns for a three-year ARC-funded post-doctoral research fellowship.
Current student projects
Busayo Ajuwon (PhD scholar, commenced July 2019) Thesis title: Predicting the Presence of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) in Nigerian Patients by Pathology Data Mining and Pattern Recognition Algorithms. Co-supervised with Assoc-Prof Brett Lidbury (Chair of panel) and Assoc-Prof Alice Richardson.
Past student projects
Dr Patiyan Andersson (MAE2017) Placement: Commonwealth Department of Heath, ACT
Julie Collins (MAE2016) Placement: Hunter New England Public Health Unit, NSW
Rosemary Wright (MAE2016): Placements: Murdoch Childrens Research Institute; and Department of Health and Human Services, VIC
Siobhan St George (MAE2016) Placements: Department of Health and Human Services, VIC; and Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, VIC
Linda Garton (MAE2016) Placement: Centre for Disease Control, Northern Territory Dept of Health
Kathleen McDermott (MAE2016) Placement: National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre, NT
Samantha Siripol (MAE2015) Placement: Indigenous and Rural Health Division, ACT
Dr Craig Thompson (MAE2015) Placement: National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, NSW
Publications
- Ajuwon, B, Yujuico, I, Roper, K et al. 2021, 'Hepatitis B virus infection in Nigeria: a systematic review and meta-analysis of data published between 2010 and 2019', BMC Infectious Diseases, vol. 21, no. 1.
- Pavlin B, Hall, A Hajek, Raja MA, Sharma V, Ramadan OP, Mishra S, Rangel A, Kitching A, Roper K, O’Dempsey T, Starkulla J, Parry AE, Kamara R, and Wurie AH, 2020, 'Atypical clinical presentation of Ebola virus disease in pregnancy: Implications for clinical and public health management [IN PRESS]', International Journal of Infectious Diseases, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2020.05.064
- Andersson P, Beckingham W, Gorrie CL, Kennedy K, Daveson K, Ballard SA, Chen M, Roper K and Coatsworth N, 2019, 'Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) outbreak in a neonatal intensive care unit and special care nursery at a tertiary-care hospital in Australia - A retrospective case-control study', Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, vol. 40, no. 5, pp. 551-558.
- Sheel M, Collins J, Kama M, Nand D, Faktaufon D, Samuela J, Biaukula V, Haskew C, Flint J, Roper K, Merianos A, Kirk M & Nilles E, 2019, 'Evaluation of the early warning, alert and response system after Cyclone Winston, Fiji, 2016 ', Bulletin of the World Health Organization, vol. 97, no. 3, pp. 169-244.
- Collins J, Biaukula V, Faktaufon D, Flint J, Fullman S, Jalava K, Kailawadoko J, Merianos A, Nilles E, Roper K, Sheel M and Kama M, 2018, 'An outbreak investigation of paediatric severe acute respiratory infections requiring admission to intensive care units - Fiji, May 2016', Western Pacific Surveillance and Response, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 1-5.
- Datema T, Roper K, Cognat S, Saad MD, Oskam L, Dolmazon V, Engelberts MFM, Hessels P and Klatser PR, 2018, 'Evaluation of the WHO laboratory quality stepwise implementation tool', Tropical Medicine and International Health, vol. 23, no. 9, pp. 943-949.
- Davies B, Bowley D & Roper K, 2015, 'Response to the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone', Nursing Standard, vol. 29, no. 26, pp. 37-41.
- Roper K, 2014, 'LQSI: a tool to enhance quality in your laboratory', GABRIEL Network Global Approach to Biological Research, Infectious diseases and Epidemics in Low-income countries, vol. 16.
- Foxwell A, McIntyre P, Quinn H, Roper K and Clements MS, 2011, 'SEVERE PERTUSSIS IN INFANTS: ESTIMATED IMPACT OF FIRST VACCINE DOSE AT 6 VERSUS 8 WEEKS IN AUSTRALIA', The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 161-163.
- Michel C, Roper K, Divena M, Lee H and Taylor H, 2011 'Correlation of clinical trachoma and infection in aboriginal communities', PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, vol. 5, no. 3.
- Claydon K, Roper K and Owens L, 2010, 'Attempts at producing a hybridised Penaeus monodon cell line by cellular fusion', Fish and Shellfish Immunology, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 539-543.
- Roper K, 2009, 'Outbreak of pertussis, 1 January to 31 March 2009.', Communicable Diseases Intelligence, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 36-37.
- Liu C, Stirzaker S, Knuckey D, Robinson K, Knope K, Fitzsimmons D, Wall J, Roper K, Martin N, Reynolds A, Owen R, Hii A, Barry C, Wright P, Sanders L, Fielding J, 2009, 'Australia's notifiable disease status, 2007: annual report of the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.', Communicable Diseases Intelligence, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 89-154.
- Roper K and Taylor H, 2009, 'Comparison of clinical and photographic assessment of trachoma', BJO Online (British Journal of Ophthalmology Online), vol. 93, no. 6, pp. 811-814.
- Roper K, Michel C, Kelly P and Taylor H, 2008, 'Prevalence of trachoma in Aboriginal communities in the Katherine Region of the Northern Territory in 2007', Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 189, no. 7, p. 409.
- Roper K and Dempsey K, 2008, 'Diabetes, obesity and other co-morbidities among the non-Indigenous population of the Northern Territory: an analysis of the two AusDiab surveys, 2000 and 2005', The Chronicle, vol. 11, no. 2.
- Roper K, Skov S and Kelly P, 2007, 'Palmerston Safety Survey 2006: home safety, perceptions of community safety & experiences of injury', The Northern Territory Disease Control Bulletin, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 34-39.
- Roper K, 2007, 'Trachoma: new advances in treatment', The Northern Territory Disease Control Bulletin, vol. 14, no. 4, p. 24.
- Harlock M, Roper K, Markey P, Fearnley E, Clements N, Le P, Schmitt D and Schobben X, 2007, 'An investigation of a cluster of Salmonella Oslo cases', The Northern Territory Disease Control Bulletin, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 16-20.
- Roper K and Williams S, 2006, 'Outbreak of norovirus gastrointestinal illness at Robertson Barracks', The Northern Territory Disease Control Bulletin, vol. 13, no. 2.
- Roper K, Owens L & West L, 2001, 'The media used in primary cell cultures of prawn tissues: a review and a comparative study', Asian Fisheries Science, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 61-75.
- Hanna P, Richardson B, Altmann K, Smith J, Roper K and Hammond L, 1994, 'The production of monoclonal antibodies for use as probes in the identification of northern Australian crown-of-thorns starfish and commercial prawn larvae', in (ed.), The Bio-Physics of Marine Larval Dispersal, Coastal and Estuarine Studies, American Geophysical Union, Washington DC United States.
Projects and Grants
Grants information is drawn from ARIES. To add or update Projects or Grants information please contact your College Research Office.
- Assessment of potential risks to human health posed by Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (Primary Investigator)
- Implications of culture independent diagnostic testing (CIDT) on enteric disease surveillance in Australia (Secondary Investigator)
