Human Reproduction 2011

Professor Sue Garland

Royal Women’s Hospital

Professor Garland is an internationally recognized clinical microbiologist and sexual health physician, with particular expertise in infectious diseases as they pertain to reproductive health and the neonate. With her team, Prof Garland, has been a leader in the role of patient self-collected genital sampling in the detection by molecular techniques (polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of reproductive tract infections, particularly those sexually transmitted, such as Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis and herpes simplex virus and have published extensively on clinical epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections in Australia.  In addition, a key area of research interest is cervical cancer and the role of human  papillomaviruses (HPV).

She has been involved in defining HPV in cervical dysplasia, cervical cancer, plus the healthy population within Australia, as well as being chief investigator defining the prevalence of HPV genotypes in urban, rural, indigenous and non-indigenous Australian women (WHINURS project). She has been chief investigator of two 4-year follow-up clinical trials of prophylactic HPV vaccines in young women, and currently one in midage women. She is a regular Advisor to the WHO, largely in the area of sexually transmitted infection diagnosis, for prophylactic HPV vaccines, as well as international standards for HPV DNA assays.

She has published extensively in more than 370 peer-reviewed journals, as well as being invited to deliver keynote and plenary presentations at national and international meetings.  She is the Inaugural and Past President of the newly formed society, AOGIN (Asian Oceania Research Organization on Genital Infection and Neoplasia), which brings together clinicians and scientists within the Asian and Oceania regions and whose work is related to genital infections and neoplasia. AOGIN aims to promote and develop, at an Asia-Oceania level, research, training, screening, prevention and information concerning genital infections, pre-cancers and cancers in women and brings together representatives from the Asia-Oceania region, of a multidisciplinary specialist areas including: gynaecologists, sexual health physicians, dermatologists, pathologists, molecular biologists, oncologists and basic scientists.

In recognition of her clinically based research on “Infectious Diseases Research in Reproductive Health: Particularly of Women and Babies” Prof Garland was selected to in 2010 by  NHMRC for “one of the 10 Best Research Projects “.