Minda Sarna
Senior Research Officer
M.App.Epid., PhD
minda.sarna@thekids.org.au
+61 438 100 851
https://www.linkedin.com/in/minda-mohinder-sarna-49a42150/Dr Minda Sarna is an Infectious Diseases Epidemiologist and Senior Research Officer within the Infectious Diseases Epidemiology team at The Kids Research Institute Australia. She is also an Adjunct Research Fellow at Curtin University. Dr Sarna has 18 years’ experience working in research and government public health agencies.
Dr Sarna has used prospective and retrospective observational cohort data to examine respiratory virus infection epidemiology, burden and risk factors. She’s also contributed to maternal influenza vaccine safety evaluation through showing that antenatal influenza vaccine does not result in an increased prevalence of congenital abnormalities. Her current work is focused on the epidemiology, burden and risk factors for respiratory syncytial virus infection.
Projects
The STAMP RSV Program
STAMP-RSV is guided by a community reference group with lived experiences of RSV. The goal is to translate research findings into effective and efficient RSV control policies to reduce the health and economic burden of RSV.
July 2024
Published research
Respiratory Viral Testing Rate Patterns in Young Children Attending Tertiary Care Across Western Australia: A Population-Based Birth Cohort Study
Cohort profile: A population-based record linkage platform to address critical epidemiological evidence gaps in respiratory syncytial virus and other respiratory infections
The Western Australia (WA) Respiratory Infections Linked Data Platform is a population-based cohort established to investigate the epidemiology of RSV and other respiratory infections in children aged 0-10 years, incorporating microbiological testing patterns, hospital admissions, emergency department presentations, and socio-demographic data.
The effectiveness of maternal pertussis vaccination for protecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants against infection, 2012–2017: a retrospective cohort study
To evaluate the effectiveness of maternal pertussis vaccination for preventing pertussis infections in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants under seven months of age.
Factors Predicting Secondary Respiratory Morbidity Following Early-Life Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections: Population-Based Cohort Study
The association between early-life respiratory syncytial virus infections and later respiratory morbidity is well established. However, there is limited evidence on factors that influence this risk. We examined sociodemographic and perinatal factors associated with later childhood respiratory morbidity requiring secondary care following exposure to a laboratory-confirmed RSV episode in the first 2 years.
Maternal Pertussis Vaccination, Infant Immunization, and Risk of Pertussis
Following the introduction of jurisdictional maternal pertussis vaccination programs in Australia, we estimated maternal vaccine effectiveness (VE) and whether maternal pertussis vaccination modified the effectiveness of the first 3 primary doses of pertussis-containing vaccines.
Education and Qualifications
- Master of Applied Epidemiology
- Doctor of Philosophy