Prof. Margie Danchin is a consultant paediatrician at the Royal Childrens Hospital and Clinician Scientist, University of Melbourne, and Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (MCRI). As leader of the Vaccine Uptake Group, MCRI, her research focuses on vaccine confidence and uptake, particularly amongst high risk-groups and in low and middle-income countries, and on effective risk communication. In Australia, she is the chair of the Collaboration on Social Science in Immunisation (COSSI) Group, chair of the Social Science Advisory Board and a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee, NCIRS and is an expert advisor to ATAGI. She is also committed to efforts to improve vaccine confidence and uptake in the Western Pacific Region, and globally, and is on the steering committee for the Australian Regional Immunisation Alliance (ARIA) and the Australian Expert Technical Assistance Program for Regional COVID-19 Vaccine Access: Policy, Planning and Implementation (AETAP-PPI) Advisory Board. She is on the steering committee for the MCRI COVID Governance Committee and Melbourne Children’s Global Health.
During the pandemic, Margie has worked closely with the Commonwealth and Victorian State Government on the COVID-19 rollout, including work to optimise uptake with priority adult and paediatric populations. She has lead COVID-19 projects on the impact on children’s mental health and wellbeing, enhanced public health investigation of SARS-CoV-2 cases in Victorian schools and early childhood education and care to inform the public health response by investigating the transmission dynamics and psychosocial impacts and on the impact on infant growth and maternal mental health from closure of community services due to lockdowns. She is also working on COVID-19 projects in the Western Pacific Region, including Rapid formative assessments for new and routine vaccines and COVID-19 vaccine introduction in Pacific Island countries and the COSSI Vaccine Champions and Vaccine Communication program: building confidence in COVID-19 vaccination in the Western Pacific Region.
As Director of Clinician Scientist Pathways within the Melbourne Medical School (MMS), she is an associate director of the MACH-Track, founded the MMS Women Clinicians in Academic Leadership (WCAL) group and is passionate about instilling belief and ensuring women reach their leadership potential. Margie works closely with the media, is co-host of the RCH Kids Health Info podcast and is passionate about effective science communication.
