Head - School of Public Health and Community Medicine

Raina MacIntyre
MBBS (Hons 1), MAppEpid, PhD, FRACP, FAFPHM

Professor MacIntyre took up the position of Head of School in March 2008. She is an infectious diseases epidemiologist, and runs a highly strategic research program spanning epidemiology, mathematical modelling, public health and clinical trials in infectious diseases.

Her interests include infectious diseases, epidemiology, tuberculosis (the subject of her PhD thesis), influenza, vaccines, health economics, evidence-based medicine, public health and preventive medicine, adult immunisation, refugee health and health services research.

Professor MacIntyre is a current associate editor of Epidemiology and Infection (Cambridge University Press). She leads an NHMRC Capacity Building Grant in mathematical modelling of infectious diseases. Through this she initiated and led the creation, funding and training of the Network of Infectious Diseases Modellers of Australia, a national network spanning three states and five Universities, which has created critical mass in Australia. She is senior principal research fellow at the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases, where much of her research is based. She is also involved in vaccination research in the NHMRC Centre for Clinical Research Excellence in Infection and Bioethics in Haematology at Westmead Hospital. She is also involved in a range of clinical research in influenza and respiratory pathogens, including research on the use of face masks, influenza and pneumococcal vaccines and antiviral use.

With over 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals she also sits on several expert groups including the NHMRC Expert Advisory Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance and the Specialist Influenza Advisory Group to the Chief Medical Officer of Australia.

Among numerous career awards, she received the Sir Henry Wellcome Medal and Prize, from the US military in 2007 for her work on bioterrorism, and has previously been awarded the Australian Society for Infectious Diseases Award for Advanced research in Infectious Diseases (2003). She will continue to build on her strategic infectious diseases research at UNSW, and looks forward to building on existing strengths and providing new leadership directions for the School.