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Strep A Translation

The Strep A Translation team aim to understand the epidemiology of Strep A infections in Australia and the world. Alongside this, they explore the implementation of endgame recommendations, health economics and new horizons.

The Strep A Translation team focuses on understanding disease burden and how to put evidence into action to make a difference.

Group A Streptococcus (Strep A) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) research at The Kids is built around a focus on Indigenous leadership and collaboration, privileging the voices of those with lived experience of these diseases. Our Team provides the critical support to this approach.

The research and outputs of the Strep A Translation team have national and global focus, including:

  • Comprehensively documenting the burden and economic impacts of Strep A and RHD disease, and modelling the benefits of potential control strategies
  • Developing partnerships to translate evidence into tangible approaches to disease control, with a focus on policy, practice and community ownership
  • Fostering new research approaches including providing evidence around primordial prevention, particularly environmental health
  • Working with other research teams at The Kids to accelerate translation of evidence into impact, including developing a Strep A vaccine, a diagnostic test for rheumatic fever, and new strategies and formulations of penicillin to prevent RHD

Strep A Translation Global Collaboration Map

This map showcases our global partnerships, linking Australia with collaborators around the world who are working together to eliminate Strep A infections, and Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD). Each connection represents a shared commitment to community-led research, cultural respect, and meaningful action.

From locally driven programs to international research collaborations, these connections highlight our collective commitment to equity in health and ending RHD worldwide.

Collaborators

Honoraries

Team leader

Professor Jonathan Carapetis AM
Professor Jonathan Carapetis AM

AM MBBS FRACP FAFPHM PhD FAHMS

Executive Director; Co-Head, Strep A Translation; Co-Founder of REACH

Associate Professor Glenn Pearson
Associate Professor Glenn Pearson

BA (Education) PhD Candidate

Director of First Nations Strategy and Leadership; Head, First Nations Health and Equity Research

Team members (13)

Program Manager END RHD

Jeffrey Cannon
Jeffrey Cannon

BSc(Hons) BBus PhD

Rosemary Wyber
Rosemary Wyber

MBChB MPH FRACGP PhD

Senior Research Fellow

Senior Research Fellow

Razieh Ahmady
Razieh Ahmady

Pharm.D, PhD

Senior Research Officer

Program Coordinator

PhD Candidate and Research Assistant

Strep A Translation projects

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Featured projects

Pacific Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) Program

The goal of the program is to establish the foundations of an effective, sustainable and equitable response to RHD in the Pacific.

Acute Rheumatic Fever Diagnosis Collaborative Network (ARC)

ARC is a global network of collaborators committed to reducing the burden of RHD in our lifetime.

Strep A Translation

Additional information

Reports and Findings

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The value of molecular point-of-care testing for Group A Streptococcal pharyngitis in a remote, non-clinical Australian setting

Group A Streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis is an important precursor infection to severe complications including rheumatic fever and invasive GAS. Rapid molecular point of care testing (POCT) for GAS infection has advantages over traditional microbiological culture, especially in settings with limited or absent laboratory infrastructure and where GAS complications predominate.

Fabric contamination and effective laundering for managing skin conditions: A systematic review

Household fabrics, such as clothes, bedding, and towels, are in close contact with the skin and are assumed to play a role in the transmission of skin pathogens/ectoparasites. International public health advice for managing skin conditions therefore usually includes recommendations to wash clothes and bedding. However, such advice is often general and inconsistent between sources.

Fatigue Is a Key Contributor to Quality of Life in Heart Valve Disease and After Valve Replacement/Repair: A Qualitative Study

Heart valve disease (HVD) can cause morbidity and impairment of quality of life (QOL) both before and after intervention. However, descriptions of the QOL of people with HVD across the disease course are limited. We aimed to collect the experience of people living with HVD through qualitative interviews, focusing on how HVD impacts their self-perceived QOL.

The growth of rural and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community laundries: an integrative scoping review

This article documents the establishment of community laundries in rural/remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities between 2000-2024, with the aim to support synergistic planning, implementation and evaluation. 

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