Margaret Hellard

Margaret has considerable experience in undertaking community-based research involving young people, injecting drug users (IDUs) and vulnerable populations, and experience in research in tertiary care institutes. She also has considerable experience in undertaking research that used new technologies (such as SMS, Facebook) for health promotion and prevention interventions.

Margaret’s work and that of others on the feasibility of treating current injecting drug users for their HCV, led to changes in the clinical management of people who injected drugs infected with HCV in Australia. Margaret and her research group identified high rates of hepatitis C reinfection in people who inject drugs. This has led to changes in health education and prevention in this area.

Margaret has also has been instrumental in the development of innovative sentinel surveillance systems for BBVs and STIs both within Victoria and nationally. She and her group are world leaders in research using new technologies such as SMS and social networking sites for health promotion. She has been a member of numerous advisory committees and working groups related to HCV, HBV and HIV including WHO and other international Working Groups and Advisory Committees, and National and Victorian working groups, taskforces and advisory committees.