Professor Catriona Bradshaw

EXPERTISE

  • Epidemiology
  • Sexual Health
  • Sexual and Reproductive Health

Professor Bradshaw's translational research programme focuses on improving the treatment & control of drug-resistant and refractory sexually transmitted infections. She has a particular focus on Mycoplasma genitalium (MG), an STI which has developed resistance to available therapies, and bacterial vaginosis, a common vaginal dysbiosis that is refractory to current treatment strategies and is associated with adverse reproductive and sexual health in women, including miscarriage and premature delivery. Her work on new treatment strategies for STIs includes the integration of point of care diagnostic assays for AMR into clinical care; repurposing of antimicrobials, and the evaluation of new classes of antimicrobials and devices to optimise sexual and reproductive health for men and women. Her team are undertaking a multi-site NHMRC funded RCT of partner treatment to reduce BV recurrence, are part of the MRFF Frontiers funded EVE-M initiative to develop multipurpose prevention technologies to improve sexual and reproductive health for women, and the ARC Industrial Translation Research Hub to Combat AMR with a focus on new diagnostics and antimicrobials to combat STIs.

Professor Catriona Bradshaw is a clinician scientist, Head of Research Translation and Mentorship and Head of the Genital Microbiota & Mycoplasma Group at Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (a department of Monash University and Alfred Health). She has over 270 publications and developed practice guidelines in the Australian and US Centre for Disease Control. Catriona has been an investigator on grants totalling over $18 million in the past decade. Her research has been supported by the NHMRC, MRFF, ARC, Victorian Medical Research Acceleration Fund, industry and other funders. She currently holds an NHMRC Investigator Grant, MRFF Frontiers (Stage One) and ARC ITRH to Combat AMR. In 2007, she received the L’Oreal Australia Women in Science Fellowship, and the Royal Australasian College of Physician’s 2009 Sexual Health Medicine Award and 2013 Sexual Health Medicine Award for outstanding contributions to research. She also received the Eureka Prize for Infectious Diseases Research (2022).

AMR FOCUS

  • Improving treatment and control of drug-resistant and refractory sexually transmitted infections.
  • Treatment of sexual partners to reduce recurrence of bacterial vaginosis.
  • Point of care diagnostics with AMR capacity for STIs.
  • New antimicrobials for STIs.
  • Antimicrobial stewardship for STIs.
  • Multipurpose prevention technologies to improve sexual and reproductive health for women.

IMPACT

  • Improving treatment and control of drug-resistant and refractory STIs and women’s sexual and reproductive health.