Graduate Research Degree Awarded - Mercy Thomas

Congratulations to Mercy Thomas - Graduate Research Degree Awarded 16 October 2023.

Degree: PhD
Supervisors: A/Prof Ronda Greaves, Prof Fiona Newall, Prof Vera Ignjatovic, Dr Anushi Rajapaksa
Advisory Committee: Prof Julie Bines, Dr Rosemary Boland

Thesis Title: Towards timely screening and diagnosis of neonatal jaundice

Thesis Summary: For my thesis, I investigated issues related to timely screening and diagnosis of neonatal jaundice. This includes three key areas of research: 1. Determining the rate and severity of neonatal jaundice readmissions to Victorian tertiary level hospitals, 2. Exploring community-based jaundice screening practices, and 3. Conducting a laboratory-based pilot study on determining bilirubin levels in the urine of newborns with clinically significant jaundice. The findings from these research studies have identified strategies to advance public health policy and practice.

Date awarded: 16 October 2023