Research project topics

Examples of projects:

• Examining the impact of COVID-19 on alcohol and gambling behaviours in Australia.
• Supporting the implementation of a gambling screening tool in community organisations.
• Exploring the use of child-led research methods in gambling and alcohol harm prevention research.
• Understanding alcohol and gambling harm in communities. 

If you are interested in undertaking these research projects please contact Dr Amy Bestman.

View project deatils–A public health approach to gambling and alcohol harm prevention.

The student will assist with data collection, analysis, and reviewing and summarising key findings. The project includes a range of methods to offer a multi-layered understanding of the proposed exhibition’s impact on viewing audiences including:

1. Feedback collected during virtual guided tours and discussions of the exhibition with target audiences (e.g., people living with HIV, health professionals, the general public).
2. A short self-completion evaluation survey on the exhibition website.
3. Google Analytics to track community reach and engagement over time. 

The student will be expected to support these research activities, to meet weekly with the supervisors, and to write a draft paper suitable for publication in a health journal.

Flexible workload/hours per week based on unit requirements. Commence in Term 3, 2021. Ethics approval is already in place. Data collection and analysis will occur in Term 3 2021 and final write up in Summer Term or Term 1, 2022 (to be negotiated).

If you are interested in undertaking these research projects please contact A/Prof Sally Nathan.

View project detils–Exploring the use of community-based art to reduce HIV stigma in Australia.

This 12- or 18-credit point research project opportunity would suit a student interested in developing qualitative and health policy skills to make a real-world difference! The student will source policy and strategy documents from three Pacific Island countries and, using an appropriate theoretical framework, evaluate them for their relevance to each country’s response to population ageing. The student will learn and use NVivo software to thematically map policy statements to a World Health Organization framework to promote healthy ageing in the Western Pacific region, and apply outcomes of this mapping exercise to identify national healthy ageing policy strengths, limitations and gaps. To be eligible for this project, students must have completed and received a credit or above mark in the Applied Research Methods for Public Health course (PHCM9132), the Qualitative Research Methods course (PHCM9120) or the Policy Studies course (PHCM9381). Ideally, the student will have knowledge and experience in health policy or health policy analysis, but this is not essential.

This project is to commence in T1 2023. For more information or to express interest in this project, students should contact Dr Anna Palagyi (Senior Research Fellow, The George Institute for Global Health) and Dr Adam Craig (Senior Lecturer, School of Population Health).

The Kirby Institute is a world-leading research institute at UNSW Sydney. We work to eliminate infectious diseases globally using our wide-ranging expertise in epidemiology and global health.  

Estimating the lifetime cost of trichomoniasis in Australia (12 UoC)

Trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the parasite, Trichomonas vaginalis, which can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility in women. While trichomoniasis used to be picked up and treated during the process of routine cervical Pap smear to detect precancerous lesions, cervical cancer screening in Australia is now based on HPV testing which does not detect trichomoniasis. Modelling by our group predicts that this shift in policy is likely to lead to a substantial increase in the prevalence of trichomoniasis over time.1,2 However, it is uncertain what economic burden this will incur. An estimate of the lifetime cost-of-illness for trichomoniasis will help close this gap and support future projects assessing the cost-effectiveness of interventions targeting trichomoniasis. This project would suit a student keen to develop an understanding of health economics research. By establishing a decision model and generating appropriate estimates of unit costs, you will calculate the average lifetime cost for a case of trichomoniasis in Australia. To apply, students need to have scored a Distinction or High Distinction in the Economic Evaluation in Healthcare course (PHCM9440) and/or the Predictive Modelling in Public Health course (PHCM9785). Ideally the student will have some knowledge of sexually transmitted infections, but this is not essential.

1. Hui BB, Reulein CP, Guy RJ, et al. Impact of replacing cytology with human papillomavirus testing for cervical cancer screening on the prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis: a modelling study. Sexually transmitted infections. 2018;94(3):216-221
2. Regan DG, Hui BB, Guy RJ, Donovan B, Hocking JS, Law MG. Supplemental Trichomonas vaginalis testing is required to maintain control following a transition from Pap smear to HPV DNA testing for cervical screening: a mathematical modelling study. Sexually transmitted infections. 2020;96(1):76-78

For more information or expressions of interest contact Dr David Boettiger (Senior Research Fellow, Kirby Institute).

Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and socioeconomic risk factors of soil-transmitted helminths in Timor-Leste (12 UoC)

This project would suit a student keen to apply their biostatistics and epidemiology training on real-world data. This project seeks to identify the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and socioeconomic risk factors associated with soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections in schoolchildren in three districts in Timor-Leste using multilevel generalised linear models. WASH and socioeconomic data were collected through questionnaires and STH data collected through stool samples diagnosed using molecular diagnostics (quantitative PCR). The student will use STATA statistical software for the analysis. This project will suit a student who has completed the Advanced Biostatistics and Statistical Computing course (PHCM9517) and/or the Advanced Epidemiology course (PHCM9518). Ideally the student will have some knowledge of STHs, neglected tropical diseases and/or multilevel stepwise regression models, but this is not essential.

For more information or expressions of interest for either of these projects, students should contact Brandon Le (PhD Candidate, NTD Research Group, Kirby Institute) and Associate Professor Susana Vaz Nery (Head of the NTD Research Group, Kirby Institute).

Geospatial analysis of soil-transmitted helminths in Dak Lak province, Vietnam (12 UoC)

This project would suit a student keen to apply their biostatistics and epidemiology training on real-world data. Using data from a recently completed soil-transmitted helminth (STH) study in Dak Lak province, Vietnam, the student will incorporate environmental and climatic data to build spatial regression models. Using these spatial regression models the student will then produce risk prediction maps of STH prevalence and burden across Dak Lak province. These spatial risk prediction maps will provide a more detailed evaluation of STH prevalence and burden compared to conventional methodologies, that can be used for informing subsequent STH control strategies and future STH survey designs. The student will use R statistical software to develop the spatial regression models and generate the risk predictions maps. This project will suit a student who has completed the Advanced Biostatistics and Statistical Computing course (PHCM9517) and/or the Advanced Epidemiology course (PHCM9518). Ideally the student will have some knowledge of soil-transmitted helminths, neglected tropical diseases or geospatial programming, but this is not essential.

For more information or expressions of interest for either of these projects, students should contact Dr Adam Bartlett (Research Fellow, NTD Research Group, Kirby Institute) and Associate Professor Susana Vaz Nery (Head of the NTD Research Group, Kirby Institute).