Dr Carlson is an early career mixed-methods social researcher with five years of experience in leading and designing research that seeks to understand how to improve access to and understanding about vaccination. As an early career researcher, Dr Carlson has already made a significant contribution to the field, both nationally and internationally. Through her consultancy work with the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, she contributed to the development of the operational guidance of acceptance and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines in Europe. She has also assisted with work that sought to understand reasons for low childhood vaccine uptake in various European countries. Additionally, her work has informed decision making about behavioural models for use in vaccination program planning by the WHO, UNICEF, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr Carlson’s work has informed Australian resources about immunisation, such as the Commonwealth Department of Health’s Questions about Vaccination booklet, the Sharing Knowledge About Immunisation resources, and information developed for health care providers about vaccines. Her work has also informed influenza vaccination program rollout for children and pregnant women in New South Wales. Dr Carlson is based at Telethon Kids Institute working on projects that seek to improve routine vaccine uptake in Aboriginal children in Perth metropolitan as well as all children in regional and remote Western Australia. Dr Carlson is also a Principal Investigator on ‘Coronavax,’ a study seeking to understand the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour regarding COVID-19 vaccine uptake by adults in Western Australia.
Experience
2020–present
Post Doctoral Research Officer, Telethon Kids Institute
2020–present
Honorary Research Fellow, University of Western Australia
2016–2020
Research Officer, National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance
Education
2021
University of Sydney, Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine)
2015
University of Sydney , Master of Public Health
2014
University of Sydney, Bachelor of Science (Immunology and Microbiology)
Publications
2021
Influenza disease and vaccination in children in Australia, Medical Journal of Australia
2021
Communicating with patients and the public about COVID-19 vaccine safety: recommendations from the Collaboration on Social Science in Immunisation, Medical Journal of Australia
2021
The Collaboration for Increasing Influenza Vaccination in Children (CIIVIC): a meeting report, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
2020
Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance (PAEDS) 2017 and 2018: Prospective hospital-based surveillance for serious paediatric conditions, Commun Dis Intell
2020
An evaluation of the 2016 influenza vaccination in pregnancy campaign in NSW, Australia, Public Health Res Pract
2020
Barriers to influenza vaccination of children hospitalised for acute respiratory illness: A cross‐sectional survey, Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health
2019
Attitudes about and access to influenza vaccination experienced by parents of children hospitalised for influenza in Australia, Vaccine
Grants and Contracts
2020
Coronavax: Preparing Community and Government
Role:
Principal Investigator
Funding Source:
Government of Western Australia, Department of Health, Communicable Disease Control Directorate
2020
Coronavax: Preparing Community and Government
Role:
Principal Investigator
Funding Source:
Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Catalyst Research Grant
2020
Country Western Australia Immunization Coverage Rates Scoping Project
Role:
Principal Investigator
Funding Source:
Western Australia Country Heath Services
2020
Coronavax 3: Helping the hard-to-reach
Role:
Principal Investigator
Funding Source:
Future Health Research and Innovation Fund Focus Grant