Overview
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:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
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
- Journal Editorial Board Member, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
- 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
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Neglected Tropical Diseases
Operational research on lymphatic filariasis elimination. Spatial epidemiology. Disease hotspots. Integrated surveillance. Pacific Islands.
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Emerging Infectious Diseases
Leptospirosis. Arboviruses. Zoonoses. Spatial epidemiology and disease mapping. Environmental drivers of disease transmission and outbreaks.
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Clinical Travel Medicine
Vaccinations. Malaria prophylaxis. Health and wellbeing of travellers.
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Digital decision support tools
Works
Search Professor Colleen Lau’s works on UQ eSpace
2011
Journal Article
Animal bites and rabies exposure in Australian travellers
Mills, Deborah J., Lau, Colleen L. and Weinstein, Philip (2011). Animal bites and rabies exposure in Australian travellers. Medical Journal of Australia, 195 (11), 673-675. doi: 10.5694/mja10.11413
2011
Journal Article
The immunogenicity of a modified intradermal pre-exposure rabies vaccination schedule-a case series of 420 travelers
Mills, Deborah J., Lau, Colleen L., Fearnley, Emily J. and Weinstein, Philip (2011). The immunogenicity of a modified intradermal pre-exposure rabies vaccination schedule-a case series of 420 travelers. Journal of Travel Medicine, 18 (5), 327-332. doi: 10.1111/j.1708-8305.2011.00540.x
2011
Journal Article
Biodiversity and leptospirosis risk: A case of pathogen regulation?
Derne, Bonnie T., Fearnley, Emily J., Lau, Colleen L., Paynter, Stuart and Weinstein, Philip (2011). Biodiversity and leptospirosis risk: A case of pathogen regulation?. Medical Hypotheses, 77 (3), 339-344. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2011.05.009
2011
Journal Article
Leptospirosis
Craig, Scott, Lau, Colleen, Tulsiani, Suhella, Graham, Glenn and Smythe, Lee (2011). Leptospirosis. Australian Family Physician, 40 (1/2), 9-9.
2011
Book Chapter
Flooding and infectious disease in rural children
Lau, Colleen and Weinstein, Philip (2011). Flooding and infectious disease in rural children. Climate Change and Rural Child Health. (pp. 95-108) edited by Erica Bell, Bastian M. Seidel and Joav Merrick. Hauppauge, NY, United States: Nova Science Publishers.
2010
Journal Article
Emerging tropical diseases in Australia. Part 1: Leptospirosis
Tulsiani, SM, Lau, CL, Graham, GC, Van Den Hurk, AF, Jansen, CC, Smythe, LD, McKay, DB and Craig, SB (2010). Emerging tropical diseases in Australia. Part 1: Leptospirosis. Annals of Tropical Medicine & Parasitology, 104 (7), 543-556. doi: 10.1179/136485910X12851868779867
2010
Journal Article
Flooding and infectious disease in rural children: Can intervention mitigate predicted increases in disease burden?
Lau, Colleen and Weinstein, Philip (2010). Flooding and infectious disease in rural children: Can intervention mitigate predicted increases in disease burden?. International Public Health Journal, 2 (4), 393-404.
2008
Book Chapter
Chikungunya fever: havoc in the West Indian Ocean Islands
Lau, Colleen (2008). Chikungunya fever: havoc in the West Indian Ocean Islands. Environmental change and human health: case studies I. (pp. 130-145) edited by Deon V. Canyon. Red Hill, QLD, Australia: Australasian College of Tropical Medicine.
2002
Journal Article
The effectiveness of intradermal pre-exposure rabies vaccination in an Australian travel medicine clinic
Lau, C. and Sisson, J. (2002). The effectiveness of intradermal pre-exposure rabies vaccination in an Australian travel medicine clinic. Journal of Travel Medicine, 9 (6), 285-288.
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Colleen Lau is:
- Available for supervision
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Available projects
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Epidemiology of notifiable diseases in Australia
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Vaccine preventable diseases in travellers
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Risk benefit analysis and decision support tools for vaccines
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Spatio-temporal epidemiology of vector-borne diseases in the Dominican Republic
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Helen Mayfield, Dr Angela Cadavid Restrepo, Associate Professor Benn Sartorius
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Doctor Philosophy
Machine learning in epidemiology research on African Swine Fever epidemic in the Philippines Outline
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Luis Furuya Kanamori, Associate Professor Yoni Nazarathy, Associate Professor Benn Sartorius
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Doctor Philosophy
Integrated Surveillance of Neglected Tropical Diseases and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Benn Sartorius, Dr Harriet Lawford
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Doctor Philosophy
The long-term cardiovascular complications of COVID-19
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Helen Mayfield, Dr Linda Gallo, Associate Professor Nathan Palpant, Associate Professor Kirsty Short
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Doctor Philosophy
Delivering human and ecosystem health co-benefits through integrated watewater management: improving disease prevention, fisheries, and marine environments in Fiji
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Helen Mayfield, Dr Amelia Wenger, Associate Professor Carissa Klein
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Doctor Philosophy
Enhancing infectious disease surveillance through the integration of routinely collected data
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Amalie Dyda
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Doctor Philosophy
Effectiveness of digital Dengue early warning system (E-DENGUE) for Dengue control in the Mekong Delta Region
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Dung Phung
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Doctor Philosophy
Assessing risk of importation of sexually transmitted infections into Australia by international travellers
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Judith Dean, Dr Luis Furuya Kanamori
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Doctor Philosophy
A big-data approach to the epidemiology of foodborne and enteric zoonoses in Queensland
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Dwan Vilcins, Professor Ricardo Soares Magalhaes
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Doctor Philosophy
Gram-negative bloodstream infections in Australian children
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Geoff Spurling, Mr Mark Chatfield, Associate Professor Adam Irwin
Completed supervision
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Spatiotemporal impact of an eight-year mass drug administration programme on soil transmitted helminth infections and anaemia in Burundi.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Ricardo Soares Magalhaes
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Spatial epidemiological approaches to quantify the role of soil-transmitted helminths (STH) in cognitive dysfunction in school-aged population
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mark Nielsen, Professor Ricardo Soares Magalhaes
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Colleen Lau directly for media enquiries about:
- Infectious diseases
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