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
- 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
2020
Journal Article
Demographic, socioeconomic and disease knowledge factors, but not population mobility, associated with lymphatic filariasis infection in adult workers in American Samoa in 2014
Graves, Patricia M., Sheridan, Sarah, Fuimaono, Saipale and Lau, Colleen L. (2020). Demographic, socioeconomic and disease knowledge factors, but not population mobility, associated with lymphatic filariasis infection in adult workers in American Samoa in 2014. Parasites and Vectors, 13 (1) 125, 1-18. doi: 10.1186/s13071-020-3996-4
2020
Journal Article
Zika seroprevalence declines and neutralizing antibodies wane in adults following outbreaks in French Polynesia and Fiji
Henderson, Alasdair D., Aubry, Maite, Kama, Mike, Vanhomwegen, Jessica, Teissier, Anita, Mariteragi-Helle, Teheipuaura, Paoaafaite, Tuterarii, Teissier, Yoann, Manuguerra, Jean-Claude, Edmunds, John, Whitworth, Jimmy, Watson, Conall H., Lau, Colleen L., Cao-Lormeau, Van-Mai and Kucharski, Adam J. (2020). Zika seroprevalence declines and neutralizing antibodies wane in adults following outbreaks in French Polynesia and Fiji. Elife, 9 e48460, 1-17. doi: 10.7554/elife.48460
2020
Journal Article
Genomic epidemiology in filarial nematodes: transforming the basis for elimination program decisions
Hedtke, Shannon M., Kuesel, Annette C., Crawford, Katie E., Graves, Patricia M., Boussinesq, Michel, Lau, Colleen L., Boakye, Daniel A. and Grant, Warwick N. (2020). Genomic epidemiology in filarial nematodes: transforming the basis for elimination program decisions. Frontiers in Genetics, 10 1282, 1-24. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2019.01282
2020
Journal Article
Risk factors for acquisition of multidrug-resistant Enterobacterales among international travellers: a synthesis of cumulative evidence
Furuya-Kanamori, Luis, Stone, Jennifer, Yakob, Laith, Kirk, Martyn, Collignon, Peter, Mills, Deborah J. and Lau, Colleen L. (2020). Risk factors for acquisition of multidrug-resistant Enterobacterales among international travellers: a synthesis of cumulative evidence. Journal of Travel Medicine, 27 (1) taz083, 1-10. doi: 10.1093/jtm/taz083
2020
Journal Article
Travel connectivity and infectious disease transmission risks in Oceania
Cadavid Restrepo, Angela Maria, Furuya-Kanamori, Luis, Mayfield, Helen, Nilles, Eric J. and Lau, Colleen L. (2020). Travel connectivity and infectious disease transmission risks in Oceania. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.3709854
2020
Journal Article
Lymphatic Filariasis in 2016 in American Samoa: identifying clustering and hotspots using non-spatial and three spatial analytical methods
Wangdi, Kinley, Sheel, Meru, Fuimaono, Saipale, Graves, Patricia M. and Lau, Colleen L. (2020). Lymphatic Filariasis in 2016 in American Samoa: identifying clustering and hotspots using non-spatial and three spatial analytical methods. SSRN Electronic Journal, 16 (3) e0010262, e0010262. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.3702976
2020
Book Chapter
The unique vulnerabilities of children to environmental hazards
English, Karen, Lau, Colleen and Jagals, Paul (2020). The unique vulnerabilities of children to environmental hazards. Early-life environmental exposure and disease: facts and perspectives. (pp. 103-112) edited by Yankai Xia. Singapore: Springer . doi: 10.1007/978-981-15-3797-4_6
2019
Journal Article
Low chikungunya virus seroprevalence two years after emergence in Fiji
Aubry, Maite, Kama, Mike, D Henderson, Alasdair, Teissier, Anita, Vanhomwegen, Jessica, Mariteragi-Helle, Teheipuaura, Paoaafaite, Tuterarii, Manuguerra, Jean-Claude, Christi, Ketan, H Watson, Conall, Lau, Colleen L., Kucharski, Adam J and Cao-Lormeau, Van-Mai (2019). Low chikungunya virus seroprevalence two years after emergence in Fiji. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 90, 223-225. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2019.10.040
2019
Journal Article
Large expert-curated database for benchmarking document similarity detection in biomedical literature search
Brown, Peter, Tan, Aik-Choon, El-Esawi, Mohamed A., Liehr, Thomas, Blanck, Oliver, Gladue, Douglas P., Almeida, Gabriel M. F., Cernava, Tomislav, Sorzano, Carlos O., Yeung, Andy W. K., Engel, Michael S., Chandrasekaran, Arun Richard, Muth, Thilo, Staege, Martin S., Daulatabad, Swapna V., Widera, Darius, Zhang, Junpeng, Meule, Adrian, Honjo, Ken, Pourret, Olivier, Yin, Cong-Cong, Zhang, Zhongheng, Cascella, Marco, Flegel, Willy A., Goodyear, Carl S., van Raaij, Mark J., Bukowy-Bieryllo, Zuzanna, Campana, Luca G., Kurniawan, Nicholas A. ... RELISH Consortium (2019). Large expert-curated database for benchmarking document similarity detection in biomedical literature search. Database-The Journal of Biological Databases and Curation, 2019 baz085, 1-67. doi: 10.1093/database/baz085
2019
Journal Article
Delays in patient presentation and diagnosis for Buruli ulcer (Mycobacterium ulcerans infection) in Victoria, Australia, 2011–2017
Coutts, Shaun P., Lau, Colleen L., Field, Emma J., Loftus, Michael J. and Tay, Ee Laine (2019). Delays in patient presentation and diagnosis for Buruli ulcer (Mycobacterium ulcerans infection) in Victoria, Australia, 2011–2017. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, 4 (3) 100, 100. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed4030100
2019
Journal Article
Sustained low-level transmission of Zika and Chikungunya viruses after emergence in the Fiji islands
Kama, Mike, Aubry, Maite, Naivalu, Taina, Vanhomwegen, Jessica, Mariteragi-Helle, Teheipuaura, Teissier, Anita, Paoaafaite, Tuterarii, Hue, Stephane, Hibberd, Martin L., Manuguerra, Jean-Claude, Christi, Ketan, Watson, Conall H., Nilles, Eric J., Aaskov, John, Lau, Colleen L., Musso, Didier, Kucharski, Adam J. and Cao-Lormeau, Van-Mai (2019). Sustained low-level transmission of Zika and Chikungunya viruses after emergence in the Fiji islands. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 25 (8), 1535-1538. doi: 10.3201/eid2508.180524
2019
Journal Article
Emergence and spread of ciprofloxacin-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae in New South Wales, Australia: lessons from history
Hanrahan, Jane K., Hogan, Tiffany R., Buckley, Cameron, Trembizki, Ella, Mitchell, Hazel, Lau, Colleen L., Whiley, David M. and Lahra, Monica M. (2019). Emergence and spread of ciprofloxacin-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae in New South Wales, Australia: lessons from history. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 74 (8), 2214-2219. doi: 10.1093/jac/dkz182
2019
Journal Article
Diversity of infectious aetiologies of acute undifferentiated febrile illnesses in south and Southeast Asia: A systematic review
Wangdi, Kinley, Kasturiaratchi, Kaushalya, Nery, Susana Vaz, Lau, Colleen L., Gray, Darren J. and Clements, Archie C. A. (2019). Diversity of infectious aetiologies of acute undifferentiated febrile illnesses in south and Southeast Asia: A systematic review. BMC Infectious Diseases, 19 (1) 577, 577. doi: 10.1186/s12879-019-4185-y
2019
Journal Article
Drug-free holidays: compliance, tolerability, and acceptability of a 3-day atovaquone/proguanil schedule for pretravel malaria chemoprophylaxis in Australian travelers
Lau, Colleen L., Ramsey, Lani, Mills, Laura C., Furuya-Kanamori, Luis and Mills, Deborah J. (2019). Drug-free holidays: compliance, tolerability, and acceptability of a 3-day atovaquone/proguanil schedule for pretravel malaria chemoprophylaxis in Australian travelers. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 69 (1), 137-143. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciy854
2019
Journal Article
Functional illiteracy burden in soil-transmitted helminth (STH) endemic regions of the Philippines: an ecological study and geographical prediction for 2017
Owada, Kei, Nielsen, Mark, Lau, Colleen L., Yakob, Laith, Clements, Archie C. A., Leonardo, Lydia and Soares Magalhães, Ricardo J. (2019). Functional illiteracy burden in soil-transmitted helminth (STH) endemic regions of the Philippines: an ecological study and geographical prediction for 2017. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 13 (6) e0007494, e0007494. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007494
2019
Journal Article
GEOFIL: A spatially-explicit agent-based modelling framework for predicting the long-term transmission dynamics of lymphatic filariasis in American Samoa
Xu, Zhijing, Graves, Patricia M., Lau, Colleen L., Clements, Archie, Geard, Nicholas and Glass, Kathryn (2019). GEOFIL: A spatially-explicit agent-based modelling framework for predicting the long-term transmission dynamics of lymphatic filariasis in American Samoa. Epidemics, 27, 19-27. doi: 10.1016/j.epidem.2018.12.003
2019
Journal Article
Ross River virus antibody prevalence, Fiji Islands, 2013-2015
Aubry, Maite, Kama, Mike, Vanhomwegen, Jessica, Teissier, Anita, Mariteragi-Helle, Teheipuaura, Hue, Stephane, Hibberd, Martin L., Manuguerra, Jean-Claude, Christi, Ketan, Watson, Conall H., Nilles, Eric J., Lau, Colleen L., Aaskov, John, Musso, Didier, Kucharski, Adam J. and Cao-Lormeau, Van-Mai (2019). Ross River virus antibody prevalence, Fiji Islands, 2013-2015. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 25 (4), 827-830. doi: 10.3201/eid2504.180694
2019
Journal Article
Antibiotic resistance in pacific island countries and territories: a systematic scoping review
Foxlee, Nicola, Townell, Nicola, McIver, Lachlan and Lau, Colleen (2019). Antibiotic resistance in pacific island countries and territories: a systematic scoping review. Antibiotics, 8 (1) 29, 29. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics8010029
2019
Journal Article
Spatial epidemiological approaches to inform leptospirosis surveillance and control: a systematic review and critical appraisal of methods
Dhewantara, Pandji W., Lau, Colleen L., Allan, Kathryn J., Hu, Wenbiao, Zhang, Wenyi, Mamun, Abdullah A. and Soares Magalhães, Ricardo J. (2019). Spatial epidemiological approaches to inform leptospirosis surveillance and control: a systematic review and critical appraisal of methods. Zoonoses and Public Health, 66 (2), 185-206. doi: 10.1111/zph.12549
2019
Journal Article
Determinants of spatial heterogeneity of functional illiteracy among school-aged children in the Philippines: an ecological study
Owada, Kei, Nielsen, Mark, Lau, Colleen, Yakob, Laith, Clements, Archie, Leonardo, Lydia and Soares Magalhães, Ricardo (2019). Determinants of spatial heterogeneity of functional illiteracy among school-aged children in the Philippines: an ecological study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16 (1) 137, 137. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16010137
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Colleen Lau is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Machine learning in epidemiology research on African Swine Fever epidemic in the Philippines Outline
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Luis Furuya Kanamori, Associate Professor Yoni Nazarathy, Associate Professor Benn Sartorius
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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
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
Epidemiology and burden of rotavirus infections in Australia
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Luis Furuya Kanamori, Dr Behzad Kiani, Associate Professor Benn Sartorius
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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
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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
The long-term cardiovascular complications of COVID-19
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Helen Mayfield, Professor Nathan Palpant, Professor Kirsty Short
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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: Associate Professor Dung Phung
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Doctor Philosophy
Integrated watershed management for public and ecosystem health in the Pacific Islands: overlapping drivers and strategies to prevent leptospirosis and improve coral reef health
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Helen Mayfield, Dr Amelia Wenger, Associate Professor Carissa Klein
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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, Associate Professor Luis Furuya Kanamori
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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