Rachel Burgess
Senior Research Fellow
PhD
rachel.burgess@thekids.org.au
Dr Rachel Burgess is a descendant of the Wonnarua/Woromi people of the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales. She lives and works on Miriwoong Country in the remote East Kimberley region of Western Australia.
Rachel is an experienced social scientist and Senior Research Fellow at the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, The Kids Research Institute Australia. She completed her academic training in the arts and social sciences at the Australian National University and holds a doctorate in medical humanities from the University of Newcastle Australia.
Dr Burgess has played a leadership role in the END Rheumatic Heart Disease Program at TKI. Her research seeks to address the social and environmental determinants of health underpinning Strep A infections, and the development of Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF) and Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia.
Published research
Burden and Experiences of Head Lice Infestation Among Children in Western Australia
Head lice is an ectoparasitic skin infection commonly seen in primary school-aged children. In remote Australia, where rates of other skin infections and downstream sequelae are endemic, the rate of head lice infestation is unknown.
Diverse diagnostic and management approaches for acute rheumatic fever in Australia and New Zealand: findings of a prospective clinical study
This study provides new knowledge on ARF characteristics and management and highlights international variation in diagnostic and management practice.
The need for community-controlled tools to monitor health impacts of housing and living conditions in Australia
We explore the contemporary landscape of housing investments and initiatives seeking to improve health outcomes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia, as well as the dearth of quality evidence and agreed approaches to evaluation.
Housing Initiatives to Address Strep A Infections and Reduce RHD Risks in Remote Indigenous Communities in Australia
This research sought to provide an outline of identified household-level environmental health initiatives to reduce or interrupt Strep A transmission along each of these pathways.