Professor Colleen Lau
Professor

Colleen Lau

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 334 64747

Background

Prof Colleen Lau - MBBS (UWA), MPHTM (JCU), PhD (UQ), FRACGP, FACTM, FISTM.

Prof Colleen Lau is an NHMRC Fellow and Professorial Research Fellow at the UQ Centre for Clinical Research. Her areas of expertise include emerging infectious diseases, neglected tropical diseases, and clinical travel medicine. Her wide range of research interests include infectious disease epidemiology, spatial epidemiology and disease mapping, infectious disease surveillance and elimination, vaccinations, travel health, environmental health, and digital decision support tools. Professor Lau’s research projects focus on answering practical questions in clinical management of infectious diseases and operational questions on improving strategies to solve public health problems. She leads UQ's HERA program on Operational Research and Decision Support for Infectious Diseases (ODeSI).

Availability

Professor Colleen Lau is:
Not available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Clinical sciences Environmental Sciences Epidemiology Health Sciences Infectious diseases Pacific Peoples health and wellbeing

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery and Medical Science, University of Western Australia
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Travel Medicine, James Cook University
  • Masters (Coursework) of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, James Cook University
  • Doctor of Philosophy of Public Health, The University of Queensland
  • Member, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
  • Member, Asia Pacific Travel Health Society, Asia Pacific Travel Health Society
  • Fellow, Australasian College of Tropical Medicine, Australasian College of Tropical Medicine
  • Board Member, Australasian College of Tropical Medicine, Australasian College of Tropical Medicine
  • Honorary Academic, Australian National University, Australian National University
  • Board Member, Healthy Environments and Lives (HEAL) Network, Healthy Environments and Lives (HEAL) Network
  • Fellow, International Society of Travel Medicine, International Society of Travel Medicine
  • Honorary Academic, James Cook University, James Cook University
  • Journal Editorial Board Member, Journal of Travel Medicine, Journal of Travel Medicine
  • Journal Editorial Board Member, One Health, One Health
  • Fellow, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
  • Journal Editorial Board Member, Socio-Environmental Systems Modelling, Socio-Environmental Systems Modelling
  • Journal Editorial Board Member, Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease

Research interests

  • Neglected Tropical Diseases

    Operational research on lymphatic filariasis elimination. Spatial epidemiology. Disease hotspots. Integrated surveillance. Pacific Islands.

  • Emerging Infectious Diseases

    Leptospirosis. Arboviruses. Zoonoses. Spatial epidemiology and disease mapping. Environmental drivers of disease transmission and outbreaks.

  • Clinical Travel Medicine

    Vaccinations. Malaria prophylaxis. Health and wellbeing of travellers.

  • Digital decision support tools

Search Professor Colleen Lau’s works on UQ eSpace

296 works between 2002 and 2026
All (296) Journal Article (254) Other Outputs (8) Conference Publication (26) Book Chapter (8)

21 - 40 of 296 works

2026

Journal Article

Immune correlates of protection are exposure-dependent: evidence from the Dominican Republic

Nilles, Eric J., Then Paulino, Cecilia, Vazquez, Marietta, Duke, William, Jarolim, Petr, Sanchez, Isaac Miguel, Murray, Kristy O., Lau, Colleen L., Skewes Ramm, Ronald and Kucharski, Adam (2026). Immune correlates of protection are exposure-dependent: evidence from the Dominican Republic. Nature Communications. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-78427-7

Immune correlates of protection are exposure-dependent: evidence from the Dominican Republic

2026

Journal Article

Qualitative risk assessment of Japanese encephalitis virus introduction and transmission in Pacific Island countries and territories

Skinner, Eloise B., Murphy, Amanda K., Yu, Fan, Moore, Kevin Thabo, Chen-Cao, Liuyi, Williams, David T., Karl, Stephan, Goi, Joelyn, Lau, Colleen L. and Sartorius, Benn (2026). Qualitative risk assessment of Japanese encephalitis virus introduction and transmission in Pacific Island countries and territories. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 20 (9) e0014162, e0014162. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0014162

Qualitative risk assessment of Japanese encephalitis virus introduction and transmission in Pacific Island countries and territories

2026

Journal Article

Pre-travel sexual health advice for international students: exploring awareness, access, barriers, and ways to improve access in Australia

Shiferaw, Wondimeneh, Yu, Fan, Lau, Colleen L., Furuya-Kanamori, Luis and Dean, Judith A. (2026). Pre-travel sexual health advice for international students: exploring awareness, access, barriers, and ways to improve access in Australia. Sexual Health, 23 (5) SH26045. doi: 10.1071/sh26045

Pre-travel sexual health advice for international students: exploring awareness, access, barriers, and ways to improve access in Australia

2026

Journal Article

Empirical antibiotic activity and outcomes in pediatric gram-negative bloodstream infections: a rank-based composite outcome analysis

Wen, Sophie C. H., Hardy, Melissa J., Aslan, Abdullah T., Harris, Patrick N. A., Chatfield, Mark D., Lau, Colleen L., Spurling, Geoffrey, Clark, Julia E., Dougherty, Sonia, Blyth, Christopher C., Britton, Philip N., Clifford, Vanessa, Haeusler, Gabrielle M., McMullan, Brendan, Wadia, Ushma, Schlapbach, Luregn, Chambers, Henry, Paterson, David L., Irwin, Adam D., PAEDS network, Carr, Jeremy, Vasilunas, Nan, Francis, Joshua R, Macartney, Kristine, Crawford, Nigel W, Wood, Nicholas, Buttery, Jim, Marshall, Helen, Elliott, Elizabeth ... Levy, Avram (2026). Empirical antibiotic activity and outcomes in pediatric gram-negative bloodstream infections: a rank-based composite outcome analysis. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 83 (2) ciag234, e282-e290. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciag234

Empirical antibiotic activity and outcomes in pediatric gram-negative bloodstream infections: a rank-based composite outcome analysis

2026

Journal Article

Modelling African swine fever transmission and epidemiology: a scoping review of mechanistic, statistical, and machine learning approaches

Ligue-Sabio, Kim Dianne B., Nazarathy, Yoni, Do, Kien Quoc, Furuya-Kanamori, Luis, Sucol, Yusuf A., Sartorius, Benn and Lau, Colleen L. (2026). Modelling African Swine Fever Transmission and Epidemiology: A Scoping Review of Mechanistic, Statistical, and Machine Learning Approaches. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, 11 (8) 228, 228-228. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed11080228

Modelling African swine fever transmission and epidemiology: a scoping review of mechanistic, statistical, and machine learning approaches

2026

Journal Article

What leads to a public health emergency of international concern? A comparison of the 2026 Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks

Craig, Adam T., Sheel, Meru, Nilles, Eric J. and Lau, Colleen L. (2026). What leads to a public health emergency of international concern? A comparison of the 2026 Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks. Journal of Travel Medicine, 33 (6) taag053, 1-3. doi: 10.1093/jtm/taag053

What leads to a public health emergency of international concern? A comparison of the 2026 Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks

2026

Journal Article

Estimating the burden of leptospirosis in the Caribbean: Insights from environmental and sociodemographic factors

Mario Martin, Beatris, Zhang, Zhonghan, Jian, Holly, Vernal, Sebastian, Nilles, Eric J., Furuya-Kanamori, Luis, Sartorius, Benn and Lau, Colleen L. (2026). Estimating the burden of leptospirosis in the Caribbean: Insights from environmental and sociodemographic factors. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 20 (7) e0013876, 1-17. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0013876

Estimating the burden of leptospirosis in the Caribbean: Insights from environmental and sociodemographic factors

2026

Journal Article

Utility of antifilarial antibodies for post-validation surveillance of lymphatic filariasis in Tonga

Lawford, Harriet L. S., Tukia, ‘Ofa, Takai, Joseph, Sheridan, Sarah, Ward, Selina, Jian, Holly, Mario Martin, Beatris, ‘Ofanoa, Reynold, Vaccher, Stefanie, Robinson, Leanne, Angrisano, Fiona and Lau, Colleen L. (2026). Utility of antifilarial antibodies for post-validation surveillance of lymphatic filariasis in Tonga. Scientific Reports. doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-58800-8

Utility of antifilarial antibodies for post-validation surveillance of lymphatic filariasis in Tonga

2026

Journal Article

Multi-pathogen serosurveillance in Tonga examining demographic correlates and geographic clustering of 17 pathogens

Lawford, Harriet L.S., Tukia, Ofa, Takai, Joseph, Sheridan, Sarah, Ward, Selina, Jian, Holly, Martin, Beatris Mario, ‘Ofanoa, Reynold, Vaccher, Stefanie, Angrisano, Fiona, Robinson, Leanne J. and Lau, Colleen L. (2026). Multi-pathogen serosurveillance in Tonga examining demographic correlates and geographic clustering of 17 pathogens. Scientific Reports, 16 (1) 28005, 1-17. doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-55309-y

Multi-pathogen serosurveillance in Tonga examining demographic correlates and geographic clustering of 17 pathogens

2026

Journal Article

Integrated surveillance for lymphatic filariasis and other infectious diseases with a nationwide non-communicable disease STEPwise survey in the small Pacific Island Nation of Niue, 2025

Craig, Adam T., Lawford, Harriet L. S., Mokoia, Grizelda, Tatui, Patricia, Nicolas, Misiona, Manu, Andy, Murphy, Amanda, Marquardt, Tonia, Robinson, Leanne J., Angrisano, Fiona and Lau, Colleen L. (2026). Integrated surveillance for lymphatic filariasis and other infectious diseases with a nationwide non-communicable disease STEPwise survey in the small Pacific Island Nation of Niue, 2025. Scientific Reports, 16 (1) 26414, 1-10. doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-56902-x

Integrated surveillance for lymphatic filariasis and other infectious diseases with a nationwide non-communicable disease STEPwise survey in the small Pacific Island Nation of Niue, 2025

2026

Journal Article

Comparison of an integrated versus stand-alone approach to post-validation surveillance for lymphatic filariasis in Niue: a micro-costing study, 2025

Craig, Adam T., Lawford, Harriet L. S., Mokoia, Grizelda, Tatui, Patricia, Nicolas, Misiona, Murphy, Amanda, Marquardt, Tonia, Nghiem, Son Hong, Stanciole, Anderson E. and Lau, Colleen L. (2026). Comparison of an integrated versus stand-alone approach to post-validation surveillance for lymphatic filariasis in Niue: a micro-costing study, 2025. Journal of Global Health, 16 04157. doi: 10.7189/jogh.16.04157

Comparison of an integrated versus stand-alone approach to post-validation surveillance for lymphatic filariasis in Niue: a micro-costing study, 2025

2026

Journal Article

Global, regional, and national burden of meningitis, its risk factors, and aetiologies, 1990–2023: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023

GBD 2023 Meningitis & Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators, Alam, Zufishan (GBD 2023 Meningitis & Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators), Anderlini, Deanna (GBD 2023 Meningitis & Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators), Chung, Eric (GBD 2023 Meningitis & Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators), Lau, Colleen L. (GBD 2023 Meningitis & Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators), Moni, Mohammad Ali (GBD 2023 Meningitis & Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators), Sartorius, Benn (GBD 2023 Meningitis & Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators) and Wang, Liang (GBD 2023 Meningitis & Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators) (2026). Global, regional, and national burden of meningitis, its risk factors, and aetiologies, 1990–2023: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023. The Lancet Neurology, 25 (5), 451-468. doi: 10.1016/s1474-4422(26)00101-8

Global, regional, and national burden of meningitis, its risk factors, and aetiologies, 1990–2023: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023

2026

Other Outputs

Seroprevalence of neglected tropical diseases, arboviruses, vaccine-preventable diseases, and enteric protozoa from a national multi-pathogen serosurvey in Niue

Lawford, Harriet L.S., Mokoia, Grizelda, Tatui, Patricia, Nicolas, Misiona, Manu, Andy, Murphy, Amanda, Marquardt, Tonia, Robinson, Leanne, Angrisano, Fiona, Lau, Colleen L. and Craig, Adam T. (2026). Seroprevalence of neglected tropical diseases, arboviruses, vaccine-preventable diseases, and enteric protozoa from a national multi-pathogen serosurvey in Niue. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9957933/v1

Seroprevalence of neglected tropical diseases, arboviruses, vaccine-preventable diseases, and enteric protozoa from a national multi-pathogen serosurvey in Niue

2026

Journal Article

Global burden of lower respiratory infections and aetiologies, 1990–2023: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023

Sirota, Sarah Brooke, Bender, Rose Grace, Dominguez, Regina-Mae Villanueva, Movo, Amanda, Swetschinski, Lucien R, Araki, Daniel T, Han, Chieh, Wool, Eve E, He, Jiawei, Carter, Austin, A.J. Jabbar, Ahmed, Aalipour, Mohammad Amin, Aalruz, Hasan, Abbasi Dolatabadi, Zahra, Abbastabar, Hedayat, Abd ElHafeez, Samar, Abdalla, Ashraf Nabiel, Abdalla, Mohammed Altigani, Abdullah,, Abdallah, Emad M., Abdel Razeq, Nadin M.I., Abdelkader, Atef, Abd-Elsalam, Sherief, Abdelwahab, Siddig Ibrahim, Abdoun, Meriem, Abdous, Arman, Abdrabou, Mostafa M., Abdul Aziz, Jeza Muhamad, Abdulah, Deldar Morad ... Kyu, Hmwe Hmwe (2026). Global burden of lower respiratory infections and aetiologies, 1990–2023: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 26 (4), 343-361. doi: 10.1016/s1473-3099(25)00689-9

Global burden of lower respiratory infections and aetiologies, 1990–2023: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023

2026

Journal Article

Beyond pre-travel risk assessment: machine learning for clinical diagnosis in returned travellers

Furuya-Kanamori, Luis, Henderson, Alec, Vos, Greta, Mills, Deborah J., Farnham, Andrea and Lau, Colleen L. (2026). Beyond pre-travel risk assessment: machine learning for clinical diagnosis in returned travellers. Journal of Travel Medicine, 33 (3) taag016, 1-4. doi: 10.1093/jtm/taag016

Beyond pre-travel risk assessment: machine learning for clinical diagnosis in returned travellers

2026

Journal Article

Acute Febrile Illness Surveillance for Estimating Population Immunity, Dominican Republic, 2021

Nilles, Eric J., Paulino, Cecilia Then, Vasquez, Marietta, Duke, William, Jarolim, Petr, Ramm, Ronald Skewes, Kucharski, Adam and Lau, Colleen L. (2026). Acute Febrile Illness Surveillance for Estimating Population Immunity, Dominican Republic, 2021. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 32 (4), 660-663. doi: 10.3201/eid3204.251205

Acute Febrile Illness Surveillance for Estimating Population Immunity, Dominican Republic, 2021

2026

Journal Article

Challenges and opportunities in the prevention of travel-related STIs

Shiferaw, Wondimeneh, Dean, Judith A., Mills, Deborah, Koh, Kenneth, Lau, Colleen and Furuya-Kanamori, Luis (2026). Challenges and opportunities in the prevention of travel-related STIs. Sexual Health, 23 (2) SH25198, 2. doi: 10.1071/sh25198

Challenges and opportunities in the prevention of travel-related STIs

2026

Journal Article

Global frequency of Campylobacter-associated hospitalisations: A systematic review and meta-analyses

Callaghan, Thomas J., Lau, Colleen L., Doi, Suhail A., Smith, James J., Kennedy, Uttara, Powell-Romero, Francisca, Vilcins, Dwan, Cobbold, Rowland N., Jennison, Amy V., Chakma, Shovon, Sherlock, Robin and Magalhães, Ricardo J. Soares (2026). Global frequency of Campylobacter-associated hospitalisations: A systematic review and meta-analyses. Journal of Infection, 92 (3) 106695, 1-13. doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2026.106695

Global frequency of Campylobacter-associated hospitalisations: A systematic review and meta-analyses

2026

Journal Article

Enablers of post-validation surveillance for lymphatic filariasis in the Pacific Islands: a nominal group technique and expert elicitation

Craig, Adam T., Couteaux, Clement, Jetton, Ken, Nehemia, Roger, Sokana, Oliver, Tong, Tanebu, Bauro, Temea, Baratio, Taulanga, Tukai, Ofa, Takai, Joe, Viali, Satupaitea, Soares, Noel Gama, Ome-Kaius, Maria, Yohogu, Mary, Volavola, Litiana, Tatui, Patricia, Taleo, Fasihah, Saketa, Salanieta, Tucker, Andie, Mackenzie, Charles, Gass, Katherine, Jian, Holly, Lau, Colleen L. and Lawford, Harriet L. S. (2026). Enablers of post-validation surveillance for lymphatic filariasis in the Pacific Islands: a nominal group technique and expert elicitation. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, 11 (2) 62, 1-13. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed11020062

Enablers of post-validation surveillance for lymphatic filariasis in the Pacific Islands: a nominal group technique and expert elicitation

2026

Journal Article

Integrated Approaches to Surveillance of Lymphatic Filariasis and Other Infectious Diseases in the Pacific Islands

Craig, Adam T., Lawford, Harriet L. S., Bauro, Temea, Couteaux, Clement, Volavala, Litiana, Dupont-Rouzeyrol, Myrielle, Soares, Noel Gama, Nehemia, Roger, Ome-Kaius, Maria, Rymill, Prudence, Taleo, Fasihah, Tatui, Patricia, Tukia, ‘Ofa Sanft, Viali, Satupaitea, Yohogu, Mary, Angrisano, Fiona, Robinson, Leanne J., Saketa, Salanieta, Tucker, Andie, Mackenzie, Charles, Nery, Susana Vaz, Udhayakumar, Venkatachalam, Gass, Katherine, Lammie, Patrick and Lau, Colleen L. (2026). Integrated Approaches to Surveillance of Lymphatic Filariasis and Other Infectious Diseases in the Pacific Islands. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, 11 (2) 54, 1-13. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed11020054

Integrated Approaches to Surveillance of Lymphatic Filariasis and Other Infectious Diseases in the Pacific Islands

Current funding

  • 2026
    Identifying environmental and behavioural drivers of dengue dynamics in climate-vulnerable communities in Vietnam (HEAL Innovation Fund administered by the University of Canberra)
    University of Canberra
    Open grant
  • 2025 - 2027
    The impact of climate on vector-borne zoonoses in Australia: changing transmission pathways and increased spill-over risks (NHMRC TCR grant led by QIMR)
    Queensland Institute of Medical Research
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2028
    Regional Immunisation Strengthening and Engagement 2 (RISE 2) (DFAT grant externally led by USYD)
    University of Sydney
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2027
    An Observational Study of the Epidemiology, Burden of Disease and Genomics of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in Older Adults of Queensland, Australia (RSV BoD) - led by Metro North Health
    Metro North Hospital and Health Service
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2028
    A user-friendly digital prediction tool for dengue prevention
    Wellcome Trust Discretionary Award
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2027
    Healthy Environments And Lives (HEAL) - National Research Network on Human Health and Environmental Change (NHMRC Special Initiative in Human Health and Environmental Change grant administered by UC)
    University of Canberra
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2026
    Building Decision Support Systems to Combat Emerging Infectious Diseases and Neglected Tropical Diseases: A Precision Public Health Approach
    NHMRC Investigator Grants
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2024 - 2025
    Operational Research to Inform Post-Validation Surveillance of Lymphatic Filariasis in Tonga
    Task Force for Global Health
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2025
    Targeted surveillance studies linked to Surveillance and Monitoring to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis and Scabies from Samoa (SaMELFS)
    Task Force for Global Health
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2023
    Geospatial mapping of Neglected Tropical Diseases (via Australian Centre for the Control and Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (ACE-NTD) administered by University of New South Wales)
    University of New South Wales
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2024
    Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine Risk-Benefit Analysis Tool (International Society of Travel Medicine grant administered by Dr Deb The Travel Doctor)
    Dr Deb The Travel Doctor Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2024
    Developing a proof-of-concept self-contact tracing app to support epidemiological investigations and outbreak response (Australia-Korea Joint Call for Joint Research Projects - ATSE Tech Bridge Grant)
    Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2023
    SMART Project - Towards Systematic Maturation of Analytics and System Redesign to Transform (SMART) Healthcare and Public Health Research
    Queensland Health
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2026
    Control of neglected tropical diseases in the Pacific: integration of programs to increase their impact (NHMRC Partnership Project administered by UNSW)
    University of New South Wales
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2023
    JEVID - Japanese Encephalitis Vaccination via IntraDermal route
    The International Society of Travel Medicine Research Grant
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2023
    Surveillance and Monitoring to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis and Scabies from Samoa: SaMELFS Samoa 2019
    Task Force for Global Health
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2024
    The Australian Centre for the Control and Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (ACE-NTD) (Administered by University of New South Wales)
    University of New South Wales
    Open grant
  • 2016
    Combating Infectious Diseases: Eco-Epidemiology, Disease Mapping, and Travel Medicine
    NHMRC Early Career Fellowships
    Open grant
  • 2015
    Combating infectious disease emergence and outbreaks: Interactive and dynamic tools for public health risk assessment and decision-making
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant
  • 2013
    Epidemiology of Leptospirosis in Fiji
    World Health Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2018
    Travel and tropical medicine research
    Research Donation Generic
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Colleen Lau is:
Not available for supervision

Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Professor Colleen Lau directly for media enquiries about:

  • Infectious diseases

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