Emeritus Professor Marylouise McLaws

Mary-Louise is an epidemiologist with expertise in hospital infection and infectious diseases control. Her COVID-19 related activities include: member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Program Experts Advisory Panel for Infection Prevention and Control Preparedness, Readiness and Response to COVID-19 and member of the NSW Clinical Excellence Commission COVID Infection Prevention and Control taskforce. She is the Focal Point for the WHO Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) in the School of Population Health.  

She was a short missions World Health Organization Advisor to China and Malaysia during the development of national hospital infection surveillance. Mary-Louise was a member of the WHO Clean Care is Safer Care Challenge program that developed and trial the guideline. She collaborated with Beijing to review the response to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak and healthcare worker safety for the Hong Kong SARS designated hospital. She was commissioned by the Commonwealth to review the Pandemic Influenza Infection Control Guidelines for evidence of protection for healthcare workers. 

As Honorary Advisor to the Clinical Excellence Commission for many years she collaborated on several state-wide patient safety interventions including: improving hand hygiene in healthcare care workers, reducing central line associated bloodstream infections and detecting and treating sepsis early in patients presenting to emergency departments.  Her research has included performing the seminal Australian survey of healthcare associated infections in 1984 and developing the first surveillance system for healthcare associated infections as a pilot in 1998-2001 for the NSW Health Department. She enjoys capacity building PhD candidates and performing infection control research in Cambodia, China, Bangladesh, Mali, Indonesia, Iran, Viet Nam, Taiwan and Turkey.  

Current Academic Appointments
Deputy President Academic Board 
UNSW Global Water Institute: Water-Health Leader Institutional Biosafety Committee
UNSW Institutional Biosafety Committee

Current External Appointments

Steering Committee Member: University Social Responsibility Network

Previous Academic Appointments

Academic Board Professorial member

Vice-Chancellor's Childcare Support Fund for Women Researchers

Faculty Higher Degrees Committee

Faculty Research Student Sub Committee

Director School Research Degree Students

Director Public Health Program

Director Graduate Health Services Management Hong Kong Programs