Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) COVID-19 Working Group
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) COVID-19 Working Group provides advice to the Minister for Health and Aged Care on the immunisation program for COVID-19 vaccines.
Role
The working group provides advice to the Government on the effective and equitable use of COVID-19 vaccines available in Australia, as directed by the Department of Health and Aged Care.
Background
Delivery of COVID-19 vaccines is a critical and urgent need in the global and Australian response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care COVID-19 Vaccine Taskforce has identified the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) as the appropriate committee to continue to provide the Minister for Health and Aged Care evidence-based advice on immunisation policies, programs and priorities.
Terms of reference
- Provide technical advice to the Minister for Health and Aged Care on the immunisation program for COVID-19 vaccines as they become available in Australia.
- Identify and prioritise gaps in the immunisation landscape to improve impact, confidence and equity with the use of COVID-19 vaccines.
- Advise on the content of clinical and other communication materials, including updating the Australian Immunisation Handbook for any COVID-19 vaccines.
- Consult with the Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA) and the Advisory Committee on Vaccines (ACV) and other national committees on matters relating to the implementation of immunisation policies, procedures and vaccine safety related to COVID-19 vaccines.
Membership
Professor Allen Cheng and Professor Chris Blyth ceased as ATAGI COVID-19 Working Group Co-Chairs on 31 December 2021. From 1 January 2022, Professor Michelle Giles (ATAGI Deputy Chair) and Professor Katie Flanagan are the ATAGI COVID-19 Working Group co-leads.
The ATAGI COVID-19 Working Group was reviewed in December 2021 and a revised structure took effect in January 2022.
The ATAGI COVID-19 Working Group meets weekly and is supported by two other groups:
- ATAGI COVID-19 Safety Group
- ATAGI COVID-19 Executive.
Members are listed below, and additional experts are invited to specific meetings as required.
Name | Area of expertise | Position |
---|---|---|
Prof Michelle Giles ATAGI Deputy Chair, ATAGI COVID-19 Working Group Co - Lead, ATAGI voting member |
Infectious Diseases Physician, Maternal Immunisation |
Infectious Diseases Physician (Alfred Health, Monash Health, Royal Women’s Hospital, Western Health) Professor Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University Department of Infectious Diseases, Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity |
Prof Katie Flanagan ATAGI COVID-19 Working Group Co - Lead, ATAGI voting member |
Vaccine immunology, clinical trials and vaccines, clinical infectious diseases |
Head of Infectious Diseases, Launceston General Hospital Clinical Professor, University of Tasmania Adjunct Professor, RMIT Adjunct Associate Professor, Monash University |
Ms Karen Bellamy ATAGI voting member |
Immunisation Nurse Practitioner, immunisation, research, COVID-19 vaccine safety, Monash Health, South East Public Health Unit (SEPHU) |
Immunisation/VPD Surveillance Nurse, Monash Children’s Hospital |
A/Prof Penelope Burns ATAGI voting member |
Primary Care representative |
General Practitioner Clinical A/Professor, Australian National University Conjoint Senior Lecturer, Western Sydney University |
Prof Allen Cheng ATAGI voting member |
Epidemiology, Public Health, Infectious Diseases |
Infectious Disease Physician and Director, Infection Prevention Healthcare Epidemiology Unit, Alfred Health Professor of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University |
Ms Kristy Cooper ATAGI voting member |
Primary Health Care Practice, Bioethics and Cultural Safety in Healthcare, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healthcare |
Indigenous Academic Fellow, School of Nursing University of Tasmania Family Nurse Practitioner Authorised Immunisation Provider |
A/Prof Nigel Crawford ATAGI Chair, Executive Working Group Lead, ATAGI voting member |
Executive Working Group Lead and Chair, Vaccine Safety, special risk groups |
Director, Surveillance of Adverse Events Following Vaccination in the Community (SAEFVIC), Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Medical Head, Immunisation Services, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne |
Dr Lucas de Toca PSM Ex-officio member |
Department of Health and Aged Care representative |
First Assistant Secretary, Implementation and Primary Care Response |
Dr Louise Flood Ex-officio member |
Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA) |
Director, Communicable Disease Control Branch, Department for Health and Wellbeing, South Australia |
Dr Katherine Gibney ATAGI voting member |
Infectious Diseases Physician, Epidemiology |
Infectious Diseases Physician, Department of Infectious Diseases, The Austin Hospital NHMRC Early Career Fellow, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity |
Prof Cheryl Jones ATAGI voting member |
Paediatrics, Infectious diseases Physician, |
Head of School and Dean, Professor of Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Sydney Medical School Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney Staff Specialist Infectious Diseases, Sydney Children’s Hospital Network (Children’s at Westmead) |
Adj A/Prof Tony Korman COVID-19 Safety Group Lead, ATAGI voting member |
Infectious diseases, Microbiology |
Director, Monash Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Monash Health |
A/Prof Bette Liu ATAGI voting member |
Epidemiology, Public Health |
School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney |
Prof Kristine Macartney Ex-officio member |
National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) |
Director, NCIRS Paediatrician and Infectious Diseases Specialist, Children’s Hospital Westmead |
Mr Dave McNally Ex-officio member |
Department of Health and Aged Care representative |
Assistant Secretary, Medical Policy and Commonwealth State Engagement Branch |
Dr Nicholas Silberstein ATAGI voting member |
General Practitioner |
General Practitioner, Victoria |
TGA representative Ex-officio member |
Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA) representative |
Deputy Secretary, Health Products Regulation Group |
Prof Tom Snelling ATAGI voting member |
Paediatrics and special risk groups, epidemiology |
Head, Health and Clinical Analytics, School of Public Health, University of Sydney |
Ms Diane Walsh ATAGI voting member |
Consumer representative |
Consumers Health Forum |
Dr Andrew Wilson Ex-officio member |
Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) |
Chair, PBAC |
A/Prof James Wood ATAGI voting member |
Infectious Diseases Epidemiology, Population Health |
School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney |
Name | Area of expertise | Position |
---|---|---|
A/Prof Nigel Crawford ATAGI Chair, Executive Working Group Lead, ATAGI voting member |
Vaccine Safety, special risk |
Director, Surveillance of Adverse Events Following Vaccination in the Community (SAEFVIC) Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Medical Head, Immunisation Services, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne |
Dr Lucas de Toca PSM Ex-officio member |
Department of Health and Aged Care representative |
First Assistant Secretary, Implementation and Primary Care Response |
Prof Katie Flanagan ATAGI COVID-19 Working Group Co-Lead, ATAGI voting member |
Vaccine immunology, clinical trials and vaccines, clinical infectious diseases |
Head of Infectious Diseases, Launceston General Hospital Clinical Professor, University of Tasmania Adjunct Professor, RMIT Adjunct Associate Professor, Monash University |
Prof Michelle Giles ATAGI Deputy Chair, ATAGI COVID-19 Working Group Co-Lead, ATAGI voting member |
Infectious Diseases Physician, Maternal Immunisation |
Infectious Diseases Physician (Alfred Health, Monash Health, Royal Women’s Hospital, Western Health) Professor Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University Department of Infectious Diseases, Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity |
A/Prof Bette Liu ATAGI voting member |
Epidemiology, Public Health |
School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney |
Prof Kristine Macartney Ex-officio member |
National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) |
Director, NCIRS Paediatrician and Infectious Diseases Specialist, Children’s Hospital Westmead |
Mr Dave McNally Ex-officio member |
Department of Health and Aged Care representative |
Assistant Secretary, Medical Policy and Commonwealth State Engagement Branch |
Name |
Area of expertise |
Position |
---|---|---|
Adj A/Prof Tony Korman COVID-19 Safety Group Lead ATAGI voting member |
Infectious diseases, Microbiology |
Director, Monash Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Monash Health |
Prof Allen Cheng ATAGI voting member |
Epidemiology, Public Health, Infectious Diseases |
Infectious Disease Physician and Director, Infection Prevention Healthcare Epidemiology Unit, Alfred Health Professor of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University |
Ms Kristy Cooper ATAGI voting member |
Primary Health Care Practice, Bioethics and Cultural Safety in Healthcare, First Nations Healthcare |
Senior Nurse Practitioner Authorised Immunisation Provider Tasmanian Aboriginal Health Service |
A/Prof Nigel Crawford ATAGI Chair Executive Working Group Lead ATAGI voting member |
Vaccine Safety, special risk |
Director, Surveillance of Adverse Events Following Vaccination in the Community (SAEFVIC) Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Medical Head, Immunisation Services, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne |
Prof Paul Effler Co-opted expert |
Safety and evaluation |
Senior Medical Advisor, Communicable Disease Control Directorate, Department of Health, Western Australia Clinical Professor/University of Western Australia |
Dr Katherine Gibney ATAGI voting member |
Infectious Diseases Physician, Epidemiology |
Infectious Diseases Physician, Department of Infectious Diseases, The Austin Hospital NHMRC Early Career Fellow, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity |
Prof Michelle Giles ATAGI Deputy Chair, ATAGI COVID-19 Working Group Co-Lead, ATAGI voting member |
Infectious Diseases Physician, Maternal Immunisation |
Infectious Diseases Physician (Alfred Health, Monash Health, Royal Women’s Hospital, Western Health) Professor Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University Department of Infectious Diseases, Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity |
Prof Cheryl Jones ATAGI voting member |
Paediatrics, Infectious Diseases Physician, |
Head of School and Dean, Professor of Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Sydney Medical School Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney Staff Specialist Infectious Diseases, Sydney Children’s Hospital Network (Children’s Hospital at Westmead) |
Dr Alan Leeb Co-opted expert |
Primary care representative |
General Practitioner, Illawarra Medical Centre SmartVax Safety Monitoring AusVaxSafety |
Prof Kristine Macartney Ex-officio member |
National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) |
Director, NCIRS Paediatrician and Infectious Diseases Specialist, Children’s Hospital Westmead |
Ms Diane Walsh ATAGI voting member |
Consumer representative |
Consumers Health Forum |
Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) representative |
Vaccine pharmacovigilance |
Pharmacovigilance and Special Access Branch, TGA |
Staff from the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) provide specialist technical support to the ATAGI COVID-19 Working Group. They include:
- Ms Lucy Armstrong
- Dr Clayton Chiu
- Ms Lauren Dalton
- Dr Sanjay Jayasinghe
- Dr Catherine King
- Dr Jana Lai
- Dr Jean Li-Kim-Moy
- Ms Katrina Nicolopoulos
- Dr Daniel Norman
- Ms Cyra Patel
- Dr Helen Quinn,
- Dr Ketaki Sharma
- Dr Ben Smith
- Dr Nicole Sonneveld
- Ms Catherine Tran
- Ms Madeline Valeri
- Ms Amanda Van Eldik
- Dr Zhicheng (Jeff) Wang
- Dr Phoebe Williams
Name |
Area of expertise |
Position |
---|---|---|
A/Prof Katie Attwell | Vaccination social science and public policy | Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) Fellow and Associate Professor of Public Policy, University of Western Australia |
Prof Chris Blyth |
Infectious diseases, clinical microbiology, epidemiology |
Paediatrician Infectious Diseases Physician and Clinical Microbiologist, University of Western Australia, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth Children’s Hospital and PathWest Laboratory |
Mr Scott Brown |
Program implementation |
Assistant State Director, COVID-19 Vaccination Program, Queensland Health |
A/Prof Margie Danchin |
Vaccination social and behavioural science (risk communication, community engagement) and vaccine safety |
Group Leader, Vaccine Uptake, Murdoch Children's Research Institute and The University of Melbourne Paediatrician, Royal Children's Hospital Chair, Collaboration on Social Science and Immunisation (COSSI) |
Prof David Durrheim |
Public Health, vaccinology, infectious diseases |
Director Health Protection – Hunter New England Health and Professor of Public Health Medicine, University of Newcastle |
Prof Paul Effler |
Safety and evaluation |
Senior Medical Advisor, Communicable Disease Control Directorate, Department of Health, Western Australia; Clinical Professor/University of Western Australia |
Ms Madeline Hall |
Public health nurse, vaccination procedures |
Nurse Practitioner, Queensland Health |
Prof Kirsten Howard |
Health economics |
Professor of Health Economics, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney |
Prof John Kaldor | Epidemiology and disease prevention | Professor of Epidemiology and NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow, UNSW Sydney |
Dr Catherine King |
Vaccination social and behavioural science |
Information Manager, National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) |
Dr Alan Leeb |
Primary care representative |
General Practitioner, Illawarra Medical Centre; SmartVax Safety Monitoring; AusVaxSafety |
Prof Jodie McVernon |
Epidemiology, modelling, public health |
Director of Doherty Epidemiology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne |
Dr Chris Moy |
General Practice |
Australian Medical Association Vice President |
Dr Lisa Nissen |
Pharmacy representative, primary care, program implementation |
Professor (Head), School of Clinical Sciences Queensland University of Technology |
Prof Lena Sanci |
Primary care representative |
Head/Professor; Department of General Practice, Melbourne Medical School; Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences |
Prof Kanta Subbarao |
Virology, paediatric infectious diseases |
Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne |
Publications
- ATAGI initial advice on priority groups for COVID-19 vaccinations in Australia
- Australian COVID-19 Vaccination Policy
- COVID-19 vaccination statements
- Weekly COVID-19 meeting updates
Related committees or groups
Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).
Contact
ATAGI COVID-19 Working Group contact
Contact the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) COVID-19 Working Group.