Justin Denholm

• 
  Professor
  Justin Denholm

  justin.denholm@mh.org.au

  View researcher's webpage

  03 9342 9428

Research Overview

Elimination of tuberculosis is a clear global priority, with a particular focus on countries where effective TB control is already well-established. Our group has been involved in the development of approaches to global TB elimination, and have active research focused on the implementation and evaluation of public health strategies towards elimination in an Australian context. These research activities cover a broad range of the knowledge necessary for pursuing and evaluating elimination strategies, and include diverse methodologies (such as ethics, epidemiology, health economics, anthropology and social work).

A range of novel approaches to the public health and clinical management of tuberculosis infection continue to be explored through the Victorian Infectious Diseases Service and Victorian Tuberculosis Program. Current programs include a prospective evaluation of adverse effects during therapy with novel drugs for MDR/XDR TB management, cost-effectiveness assessment of short-course therapies for LTBI and exploration of TB acquisition risk during international travel while on biological immunosuppressive therapies.

Use of whole genome sequencing for clinical and public health management of TB is an important and developing area of research interest. A group of collaborative projects between the Victorian Tuberculosis Program, Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory and Microbiological Diagnostic Unit involves the use of WGS for understanding TB transmission and biology. In particular, these projects will continue to refine understanding of transmission of TB in low-prevalence areas, and an improved understanding of risk of reactivation following recent exposure.

Staff

• Justin Denholm, Medical Director, Victorian Tuberculosis Program
• Amy Chung, Senior Research Fellow
• Sarah Dunstan, Senior Research Fellow
• Deborah Williamson, Deputy Director Microbiological Diagnostic Unit
• Kasha Singh, Infectious Diseases Physician
• Steven Tong, Infectious Diseases Physician
• Katie Dale, Epidemiologist
• Krista Watts, Senior Social Worker
• James Trauer, Epidemiologist and Public Heath Physician

Funding

• Medical Research Futures Fund (2021). Pathway to the Elimination of Antibiotic-Resistant Tuberculosis in the Pacific: the PEART study.
• NH&MRC Investigator Grant (2021). EL2
• Medical Research Futures Fund “c -FIND: Using CRISPR frontier infection diagnostics to detect, prevent and respond to infectious threats” (2019).
• NH&MRC Centre for Research Excellence “Centre of Research Excellence in Tuberculosis Control on both sides of our border” (2018)
• Victorian Department of Health and Human Services “Evaluating the impact and cost-effectiveness of latent TB diagnosis and treatment towards TB elimination in Victoria” (2018)
• NH&MRC Project Grant (1144570). “Improving global tuberculosis control with the AuTuMN platform.” (2017)

Research Publications

1. Degeling C, Carter SM, Dale K, Singh K, Watts K, Hall J, Denholm JT. Perspectives of Vietnamese, Sudanese and South Sudanese immigrants on targeting migrant communities for latent tuberculosis screening and treatment in low incidence settings: a report on two Victorian community panels. Health Expectations, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.13121
2. Dale KD, Trauer JM, Dodd PJ, Houben RM, Denholm JT. Estimating long-term tuberculosis reactivation rates in Australian migrants. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2019;doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciz569
3. Snow KJ, Sismanidis C, Denholm JT, Sawyer SM, Graham SM. The incidence of active tuberculosis among adolescents and young adults: a global estimate. Euro Resp J, 2018 51: 1702352; DOI: 10.1183/13993003.02352-2017
4. Karmakar M, Globan M, Fyfe J, Stinear T, Johnson P, Holmes N, Denholm JT, Ascher DB. Analysis of a novel pncA mutation for susceptibility to Pyrazinamide therapy. Am J Resp Crit Care Med, 2018;19(4):541-4
5. Degeling C, Denholm JT, Mason P, Kerridge IH, Dawson A. Eliminating latent tuberculosis in low burden settings: are the principal beneficiaries to be disadvantaged groups or the broader population? Journal of Medical Ethics, Published Online First: 31 January 2017. doi: 10.1136/medethics-2016-103424
6. Ragonnet R, Trauer JM, Denholm JT, Marais BJ, McBryde ES. High Rates of Multidrug-Resistant and Rifampicin-Resistant Tuberculosis among Re-Treatment Cases: Where do they Come from? BMC Infectious Diseases, 2017; 17(36). doi 10.1186/s12879-016-2171 -1