Dr Rebekah Henry

AMR IMPACT THEME
  • AMR Evolution and Protective Microbiomes
EXPERTISE
  • Environmental Public Health
  • Infectious disease
  • Water & sanitation
  • Applied genomics
  • Bioinformatics
  • Environmental hazard assessment

As Program Director of the MRFF National Critical Research Infrastructure One Water Consortium, Dr Henry is spearheading the development and implementation of Australia’s first multidisciplinary framework for waterborne disease surveillance, bringing together key stakeholders across research, industry, and government to drive national-scale impact. As Project Team Lead, Pathogen and Genomics for the Revitalising Informal Settlements and their Environments (RISE) program, she leads the strategic direction and operational execution of genomic and molecular capacity-building initiatives, overseeing complex, multi-site monitoring programs in Makassar (Indonesia) and Suva (Fiji). In addition, Dr Henry leads independent research programs for Melbourne Water, EPA Victoria, South East Water, and Yarra Ranges Council, integrating cutting-edge environmental monitoring methodologies to enhance microbial risk assessment and water quality management. Her research has secured over $8.8 million in funding from national and industry funders including National Health and Medical Research Council, Melbourne Water, Environmental Protection Authority Victoria and the Australian Research Council, with $7.4 million awarded since 2020. She has authored 51 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals focusing on public health, environmental science, and water research. Beyond academic publications, Dr Henry has produced numerous internal reports and technical documents for industry stakeholders, contributing to the development and refinement of national and state guidelines on recreational and drinking water quality.

Dr Henry is an interdisciplinary researcher and science enabler with over a decade of experience leading interdisciplinary research on water quality, pathogen risk assessment, and environmental health. She has spearheaded major initiatives integrating molecular microbiology, genomics, and environmental monitoring to inform evidence-based water management and public health interventions. As Program Director of the MRFF funded One Water Consortium and Genomics Program Lead for the Wellcome Trust funded Revitalising Informal Settlements and their Environments (RISE) initiative, she has collaborated with industry and government partners to advance innovative approaches for pathogen surveillance, risk assessment and climate-resilient water systems. Dr. Henry’s expertise in multi-sector research translation ensures that her work bridges scientific discovery with real-world impact, shaping policies and practices that safeguard water quality and public health.

AMR FOCUS
  • Understanding AMR transmission pathways within informal settlements
  • Understanding AMR and virulence gene acquisition in environmental pathogen reservoirs
  • Application of novel bioinformatic and computational approaches (including AI and Machine Learning) to understand AMR transmission dynamics across environments
IMPACT
  • Frameworks for hazard identification, inclusive of emerging risks, in complex environments for research and industry application
  • Defining pathways to microbial and AMR transmission within diverse environments
  • Understanding the role of barriers and treatment interventions in the reduction of AMR and associated public health risk