Program Advisor, SToP Trial
BSc (OT)
Marianne’s passion for social justice has seen her pursue a career in translational research focusing on community-driven outcomes. Marianne has over 10 years’ clinical research experience, both on the ground and in coordinating multiple national and international projects, spanning from disability and chronic conditions to acute infections.
At Telethon Kids, Marianne has overseen the development and implementation of >$5million research grants in her roles as Program Manager and Program Advisor of the Skin Health Team. This portfolio focuses on projects that support the healthy skin of Aboriginal children, including in remote Western Australian communities. Marianne was also seconded in 2020 to work in partnership with the WA government to design and manage the DETECT Schools Study, which assessed the asymptomatic transmission and psychological impact of COVID-19 in 79 schools across WA.
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Projects
The DETECT-Schools Study was launched in May 2020 as a partnership between the WA Government Departments of Education and Health with the Telethon Kids Institute.
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Publications
December 2023
HipHop2SToP a community-led health promotion initiative empowering Aboriginal youth in the Kimberley region of Western Australia: a process evaluation
For millennia, Aboriginal people's ways of knowing, doing and being were shared through art, song, and dance. Colonisation silenced these ways, affecting loss of self-determination for Aboriginal people. Over the past decade in Australia, hip-hop projects have become culturally appropriate approaches for health promotion.
Published research Skin Infections Aboriginal Health Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Healthy Skin and ARF PreventionMarch 2023A pilot study to develop assessment tools for Group A Streptococcus surveillance studies
Group A Streptococcus (GAS) causes pharyngitis (sore throat) and impetigo (skin sores) GAS pharyngitis triggers rheumatic fever (RF) with epidemiological evidence supporting that GAS impetigo may also trigger RF in Australian Aboriginal children. Understanding the concurrent burden of these superficial GAS infections is critical to RF prevention. This pilot study aimed to trial tools for concurrent surveillance of sore throats and skins sore for contemporary studies of RF pathogenesis including development of a sore throat checklist for Aboriginal families and pharynx photography.
Published research Skin Infections Aboriginal Health Group A Streptococcal & Rheumatic Heart Disease Subsite: END RHD Invasive Streptococcus A Disease Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Strep A & ARF TherapeuticsMarch 2022Missing Piece Study protocol: Prospective surveillance to determine the epidemiology of group A streptococcal pharyngitis and impetigo in remote Western Australia
Group A β-haemolytic Streptococcus (GAS), a Gram-positive bacterium, causes skin, mucosal and systemic infections. Repeated GAS infections can lead to autoimmune diseases acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia have the highest rates of ARF and RHD in the world.
Published research Skin Infections Infectious Diseases Group A Streptococcal & Rheumatic Heart Disease Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Invasive Streptococcus A Disease Healthy Skin and ARF PreventionJanuary 2022Western Australian adolescent emotional wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been vast and are not limited to physical health. Many adolescents have experienced disruptions to daily life, including changes in their school routine and family’s financial or emotional security, potentially impacting their emotional wellbeing.
Published research Human Development and Community Wellbeing School Attendance Youth Health Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Social and Emotional Wellbeing of Aboriginal Young People Geospatial Health and Development COVID-19February 2021DETECT Schools Study Protocol: A Prospective Observational Cohort Surveillance Study Investigating the Impact of COVID-19 in Western Australian Schools
Amidst the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, understanding the transmission dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is key to providing peace of mind for the community and informing policy-making decisions. While available data suggest that school-aged children are not significant spreaders of SARS-CoV-2, the possibility of transmission in schools remains an ongoing concern, especially among an aging teaching workforce. Even in low-prevalence settings, communities must balance the potential risk of transmission with the need for students' ongoing education.
Published research Academic Biostatistics Influenza Infectious Diseases Human Development and Community Wellbeing Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Child Physical Activity, Health and Development Social and Emotional Wellbeing of Aboriginal Young People Geospatial Health and Development -
Education and Qualifications