The Doherty Institute aims to improve health systems and outcomes in the region and across the world, through our internationally renowned Global Health program.
We host world-class research leaders, as well lead capacity building and development work with our closest neighbours, and have established a wide range of enduring academic partnerships to continue pursuing excellence in research. The Doherty Institute also works closely with the World Health Organisation (WHO), and hosts four WHO Collaborating Centres, several regional reference laboratories, and delivers international programs funded by international and national funding agencies and the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The Doherty Institute’s extensive network of regional linkages and collaborations enables a rapid public health and research response to new emerging infectious disease threats in the region, contributes to global pandemic preparedness activity, and the undertaking of pioneering research to lead the fight against the world’s greatest health challenges.
Research
Global health research at the Doherty Institute takes a collaborative and trans-national approach, fostering partnerships domestically and internationally. Through our interdisciplinary approaches, we aim to address the challenges of infectious disease and immunology, including through translational research, primarily in the areas of:
- Dengue and other flaviviruses
- Malaria
- Typhoid
- HIV
- Tuberculosis
- Antimicrobial Resistance
- COVID-19
- Viral hepatitis
- Maternal and child health
- Early-life nutrition
The Doherty Institute, through its research and research-related programs, works with a wide network of stakeholders and funding partners, including government, philanthropic organisations, non-for-profits, and other international collaborators to progress its work, alongside receiving classical research grant funding.
Our research is designed and conducted collaboratively with local communities and organisations, to ensure ongoing sustainability, cultural understanding, and outcomes that will support direct long-term benefits and influence policy practice across the world.
Capacity and capability building
Infectious diseases are a recognised global health issue as they spread rapidly across countries, with a disproportionate burden in low- and middle- income countries. The Doherty Institute supports communicable diseases prevention, and outbreak response across the Pacific and Southeast Asia, through diagnosis, surveillance and outbreak investigation, and development of strategies to prevent, treat and eliminate infectious diseases. The Institute has extensive networks across the region, and demonstrated international leadership and engagement to support cohesive program delivery through multiple programs in partnership with DFAT and other development partners.
Home to the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, the WHO Collaborating Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance, the WHO Collaborating Centre for Viral Hepatitis, and the WHO Collaborating Centre for Mycobacterium ulcerans, these Centres provide extensive training and technical advice to health practitioners and governments in the Asia-Pacific region. Additionally, the Institute is home to WHO Regional Reference Laboratories for vaccine-preventable invasive bacterial diseases, measles and rubella, poliovirus, and hepatitis B. These Reference Laboratories provide expert laboratory services, training and technical support to colleagues in regional countries.
The Doherty Institute receives funding through a significant number of international government and grant programs, to support our global capacity and capability building program of work.
Strategic Partnership for prevention, surveillance and response to infectious diseases with the Australian Government
The Doherty Institute has an established Strategic Partnership with the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Centre for Health Security for prevention, surveillance and response to infectious diseases across the Indo-Pacific region.
Fleming Fund program with the UK Government aid program
The Fleming Fund is a UK aid program to support low- and middle-income countries to undertake surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to inform action. The Doherty Institute’s WHO Collaborating Centre for AMR and the University of Melbourne’s Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health have a large international capacity building, training and implementation program to support prevention and surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance across five countries in the Asia-Pacific region - Bhutan, Nepal, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, and Pakistan.
PulseNet Asia-Pacific is a regionally connected network of national laboratories and Ministries of Health that aims to strengthen enteric pathogen surveillance and outbreak response in the Asia-Pacific region.
International Research Partnerships
The Doherty Institute works with several other international research organisations, through the establishment of formal partnerships. These partnerships are developed, often in conjunction with the University of Melbourne, to advance high-quality joint research programs, research training activities and provide opportunities for researchers of all levels.
Some of the Doherty’s key established research partnerships include:
- The Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT and Harvard, supported by the Victorian State Government, through the Doherty-Ragon Fellowship Program.
- Institut Pasteur, in areas of AMR, influenza and pandemic preparedness, through connections with Institut Pasteur Korea and Institut Pasteur du Cambodge.
- Fudan University, in the areas of HIV, hepatitis B, flavivirus research and pandemic preparedness, supported by the National Foundation of Australia-China Relations.
- University of Bonn, through our long-standing shared PhD program, developing the next generation of discovery research leaders.
- The University of Calgary, in the areas of One Health / AMR, Rapid Diagnostics and Clinical Trials
- National Centre of Infectious Diseases (NCID) Singapore
The Doherty institute is also a foundation member of the Pandemic Research Alliance. The Alliance was launched in December 2023, and alongside Hong Kong University, Tsinghua University, Guangzhou National Laboratory, Duke-National University of Singapore, and Columbia University in New York, aims to share research in relation to emerging infectious diseases, their surveillance and transmission, and help identify future ways to combat and prevent pandemics. The Pandemic Research Alliance is proudly supported through grant funding from the National Foundation of Australia-China Relations.
Global Health Cross-Cutting Discipline Leaders
Research
Associate Professor Sarah Dunstan
Capacity and capability building
International Research Partnerships