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Biography
Dr Holly Seale is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Public Health and Community Medicine (SPHMC), University of New South Wales. Her original qualifications were in biomedical science, she then transitioned into public health by undertaking a PhD at the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance. Her PhD completed through the University of Sydney examined the epidemiology of cytomegalovirus in Australia. At the SPHCM, she is the Program Director for the Masters of Infectious Disease Intelligence and is responsible for convening three master’s courses. She supervises a large group of students including medical students, master’s coursework, PhD and those undertaking a professional doctorate.
She leads a program of research that is focused on the attitudes and behaviours of consumers and health providers and how they impact on engagement with public health and health service strategies. She has an interest in improving awareness and acceptance of immunisation amongst special at-risk groups including children and adults with chronic medical conditions, and refugees and migrants (travellers). She is recognised for her work around occupational vaccination, having undertaken both qualitative and quantitative research focused on hospital and primary care healthcare providers as well as childcare and aged care staff. This work has led to invitations to collaborate on studies in Europe and China.
As the Deputy Chair of the Collaboration on Social Science in Immunisation, she has strong connections across Australia and internationally focused on the issue of vaccine hesitancy in the community. This network facilitates collaborations to shape questions, methodologies and help translation. It also offers opportunities to undertake research projects that traditionally have been limited in their scope or location. This network provides training through monthly network teleconferences and yearly meetings.
Areas of Expertise (7)
COVID-19
Applied Sociology, Program Evaluation and Social Impact Assessment
Public Health and Health Services
Epidemiology
Preventive Medicine
Infectious Diseases
Coronavirus
Accomplishments (3)
CAPHIA Team Research Award
2017
All-rounder award
2011 School of Public Health and Community Medicine
Alan Hodgkinson Award for Teaching
2016 School of Public Health and Community Medicine
Education (3)
The University of Sydney: M.P.H., Public Health 2009
The University of Sydney: Ph.D., Philosophy 2008
University of Technology, Sydney: B.Sc., Biomedical Science 2003
Affiliations (5)
- Member, Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases
- Member, Public Health Association Australian
- Member, Asian-Pacific Alliance for the Control of Influenza
- Member, Influenza Specialist Group
- Board Member, Franklin Women (NSW)
Links (4)
Media Appearances (2)
Hand-hygiene education for future doctors insufficient
Hospital Healthcare online
2018-10-29
Despite hand hygiene (HH) being considered the most cost-effective measure to control healthcare associated infections, healthcare workers are known to have suboptimal HH compliance, especially doctors. One of the contributing factors could be a failure of doctors to learn this behaviour and the rationale for it as medical students.
Here’s why flu vaccinations should be mandatory for Aussie health workers in high-risk areas
UNSW Newsroom online
2018-05-11
The most effective way to improve flu vaccination rates among health workers in high-risk clinical areas and aged care facilities is to make it mandatory.
Research Grants (5)
2016 Health Protection NSW
Evaluating the NSW Health 2016 Influenza Campaign
Investigators: Seale H
2015-2016 Bio-CSL funding for investigator driven research
Travel Health Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices among Australian University Students
Investigators: Heywood A, Seale H, MacIntyre CR, Rawlinson W, Zwar N, Kefalas B.
2013-14 GSK funding for investigator-driven research
Rotavirus Vaccine Acceptability Study
Investigators: Heywood AE, Seale H, (Joint CIA) Sitaresmi M, At Thobari J, MacIntyre CR, Sunarto Y
2012-2014 Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project
Travellers visiting friends and relatives: new approaches to understanding and reducing infectious disease risks
Investigators: MacIntyre CR, Zwar NA, Worth H, Seale H, Heywood AE, Sheikh M, Smith MM
2011-14 NHMRC Early Career Fellowship
Applied research in the prevention and control of infections in the hospital setting
Investigators: Seale H
Featured Articles (7)
Religious and community leaders’ acceptance of rotavirus vaccine introduction in Yogyakarta, Indonesia: a qualitative study
BMC public health
Retna Siwi Padmawati, Anita Heywood, Mei Neni Sitaresmi, Jarir Atthobari, C Raina MacIntyre, Yati Soenarto, Holly Seale
2019 In Indonesia, oral rotavirus vaccines are available but not funded on the National Immunization Program (NIP). New immunization program introduction requires an assessment of community acceptance. For religiously observant Muslims in Indonesia, vaccine acceptance is further complicated by the use of porcine trypsin during manufacturing and the absence of halal labeling.
Enhancing ovarian cancer care: a systematic review of guideline adherence and clinical variation
BMC public health
Kahren M White, Holly Seale, Reema Harrison
2019 Clinical variation in ovarian cancer care has been reported internationally. Using Wennberg’s classification of clinical variation as effective care we can conceptualise variation through deviation from clinical guidelines.
Caregiver’s attitudes, beliefs, and experiences for influenza vaccination in Australian children with medical comorbidities
Vaccine
Daniel A Norman, Margie Danchin, Paul Van Buynder, Hannah C Moore, Christopher C Blyth, Holly Seale
2019 Influenza vaccination is recommended and funded for Australian children with medical comorbidities that increase their risk of severe influenza. Despite this, influenza vaccine coverage remains low within this population. We examined caregivers’ attitudes and practices for influenza vaccination in children with medical comorbidities.
The views of key stakeholders around mandatory influenza vaccination of hospital and aged care staff: Examining the current climate in Australia
Vaccine
Alexis Moran, Maria Agaliotis, Holly Seale
2019 Healthcare worker (HCW) vaccination against seasonal influenza is considered a key preventative measure within hospitals and aged-care facilities (ACFs) to reduce the risk of transmission and related disease.
The role of pneumonia and secondary bacterial infection in fatal and serious outcomes of pandemic influenza a (H1N1) pdm09
BMC infectious diseases
Chandini Raina MacIntyre, Abrar Ahmad Chughtai, Michelle Barnes, Iman Ridda, Holly Seale, Renin Toms, Anita Heywood
2018 The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of pneumonia and secondary bacterial infections during the pandemic of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09. A systematic review was conducted to identify relevant literature in which clinical outcomes of pandemic influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 infection were described.
The importance of involving midwives before and during the implementation of an antenatal pertussis vaccination program in New South Wales, Australia
Women and Birth
Sonya Nicholl, Holly Seale, Nathan Saul, Sue Campbell-Lloyd
2018 In response to increasing pertussis notifications in NSW, Australia, an antenatal pertussis vaccination program was introduced offering pertussis containing vaccine to all pregnant women in the third trimester.
Exploring the use of entertainment-education YouTube videos focused on infection prevention and control
American Journal of Infection Control
Kathryn Lim, Claire Kilpatrick, Julie Storr, Holly Seale
2018 As a communications strategy, education entertainment has been used to inform, influence, and shift societal and individual behaviors. Recently, there has been an increasing number of entertainment-education YouTube videos focused on hand hygiene.
Social