The Univeristy of Melbourne The Royal Melbourne Hopspital

A joint venture between The University of Melbourne and The Royal Melbourne Hospital

Dr Rod James

Dr Rod James

+61402 261 683 | rodney.james@mh.org.au | rod.james@unimelb.edu.au

Position:
Medical Microbiologist - MDU-PHL | Director of Clinical Services - Guidance Group / NCAS
Theme(s):
Antimicrobial Resistance, Bacterial and Parasitic Infections, Buruli ulcer
Discipline(s):
Discovery Research, Global Health, Public Health, Clinical and health systems research
Unit(s):
Microbiological Diagnostic Unit (MDU) Public Health Laboratory, Department of Infectious Diseases, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Guidance Group (RMH), National Centre for Antimicrobial Stewardship (NCAS)
Lab Group(s):
Howden Group

Dr Rod James is a Medical Microbiologist at the Melbourne Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory (MDU PHL) and the Director of Clinical Services at the Royal Melbourne Hospital's Guidance Group and National Centre for Antimicrobial Stewardship (NCAS). Rod has been involved with antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial stewardship research for the past 10 years, with a major interest in implementation of capacity building programs in regional and remote Australian facilities and in low- and middle-income countries within the Asia Pacific region. Rod is the current Antimicrobial Resistance Theme co-lead at the Doherty Institute.

  • Key Achievements
    • Rod has played a significant role in enhancing metrics and audit methodology ensuring appropriate usage of antimicrobials. His contributions have been instrumental in establishing antimicrobial stewardship programs across Australia, where he provided guidance on national policies and accreditation standards.

      Rod spearheaded the development of the National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey (NAPS), which received funding from the Department of Health and Aged Care, and directly contribute to the implementation of National AMR Strategies.

      Additionally, he has been involved in consultancies with the World Health Organization (WHO) and holds a leadership position at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance. In this role, he supports a broad range of pharmacy and laboratory mentorship initiatives as part of the Fleming Fund and COMBAT-AMR programs.

    Publications
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    Research Groups
    • Howden Group

      Research from Professor Ben Howden’s group uses genomics, molecular biology, epidemiology and clinical studies to address a broad range of issues related to invasive bacterial diseases in humans, especially those caused by staphylococci, enterococci and other antimicrobial-resistant species. Additionally, working closely with scientists in the MDU PHL, they investigate the epidemiology, evolution and spread of bacterial pathogens of public health significance such as Neisseria gonorrhoea, Listeria monocytogenes, Shigella and Salmonella spp., Legionella spp., and carbapenemase-producing gram-negative bacteria.


      Lab Team

      Howden Group

      • Director Of Microbiological Diagnostic Unit (MDU) Public Health Laboratory
      • Deputy Director, Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory
      • Adrianna Turner
        Research Assistant
      • Alexandra-Maria Blejusca
        Research Assistant
      • Ashleigh Hayes
        Research Assistant
      • Dr Calum Walsh
        Research Fellow
      • Dr Celeste Donato
        Research Fellow
      • Dr Chris Connor
        Research Fellow
      • NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow
      • Diane Daniel
        AMR Research Scientist
      • Eddie Chan
        PhD student
      • Emily Sotheran
        PhD student
      • Research Fellow
      • Senior Project Officer
      • Jake Soley
        PhD student
      • Dr Jean Lee
        Research Fellow
      • Dr Jessica Webb
        Research Fellow
      • Jia Qi Beh
        PhD student
      • Joseph Napier
        Masters student
      • Karolina Mercoulia
        PhD student
      • Katie Cronin
        PhD student
      • Lamali Sadeesh Kumar
        PhD student
      • Lejla Kartal
        PhD student
      • Dr Lisa Ioannidis
        Centre for Pathogen Genomics Coordinator
      • Dr Louise Judd
        CPG/DAMG Senior Genomics Scientist
      • Lucy Li
        Research Assistant
      • Maria Duarte Aguilera
        AMR Research Technical Assistant
      • Dr Marielle Babinear
        CPG / DAMG
      • Marwa Alhotali
        PhD student
      • Senior Research Fellow
      • Mona Taouk
        PhD student
      • Munazzah Maqbool
        PhD student
      • Neta Petersiel
        PhD student
      • Nick Lim
        PhD student
      • Dr Patiyan Andersson
        Research Fellow
      • Dr Paul Kinsella
        PhD student
      • Rachel Cass
        AMR Research Technical Assistant
      • Research Fellow
      • Dr Ryan Wick
        Research Fellow
      • Samriddhi Thakur
        PhD student
      • Dr Sarah Baines
        Research Fellow
      • Sher Maine Tan
        PhD student
      • Clinician Researcher and Infectious Diseases Physician
      • Taylor Harshegyi
        CPG / DAMG
      • Thinley Dorji
        PhD student
      • Warasinee Mujchariyakul
        PhD student