Karin Taylor
NSW
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
Biopreparedness Epidemiologist
Public Health Unit
Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District
12.2019 - Current
- Led the Planning and Intelligence team for the COVID-19 pandemic response in the Public Health Unit (PHU) under an Incident Command Structure (ICS), including supervising up to 5 team members
- Developed a culturally appropriate COVID Incident Action Plan (IAP) for local Aboriginal communities in consultation with District Aboriginal Health colleagues and external stakeholders including Aboriginal Medical Services and land councils
- Coordinated a District Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs) Outbreak Management Plan with District stakeholders including infection control, infectious disease specialists and geriatricians
- Coordinated daily situation reports on COVID-19 cases for the District Executive
- Coordinated epidemiological reports on the COVID-19 including a review of first wave of cases and other outbreaks including legionella
- Developed and delivered training for PHU and surge staff on COVID-19 response including the development of a central SharePoint site and video and written guides
- Conducted exercises with PHU and surge staff to test and prepare for COVID-19 outbreaks in high-risk settings including RACFs, disability services, schools and Aboriginal communities
- Coordinated a local COVID-19 communications campaign to promote COVID safe behaviours in the community and to promote the role of the PHU within the District.
Senior Project Officer
HARP and Targeted Programs Unit
South Western Sydney Local Health District
10.2019 - 12.2019
- Contributed to the development of an incentivised peer education program targeted at Aboriginal people to increase testing and treatment of hepatitis C in South Western Sydney Local Health District
- Contributed to the development of a District Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy.
Public Health Officer
NSW Public Health Training Program
NSW Ministry of Health
02.2016 - 10.2019
- Five diverse placements covering key public health competencies: epidemiology, health risk assessment, communicable diseases, evidence and evaluation, policy and health promotion.
Public Health Officer
Centre for Aboriginal Health
08.2019 - 10.2019
- Developed a project to support general practices to deliver culturally safe, evidence based care for Aboriginal people in NSW.
Public Health Unit
South Western Sydney Local Health District
02.2018 - 08.2018
- Coordinated a multi-site heat morbidity pilot study including undertaking a literature review, developing a research protocol and telephone questionnaire and a multi-site ethics application
- Coordinated an evaluation of the usefulness and impact of a GP communication strategy about managing hepatitis B and C including reviewing the literature, developing and administering a GP survey and writing a report on the results
- Interviewed members of the public exposed to communicable diseases to assess their risk and provide public health advice according to the NSW Health control guidelines
- Worked across different teams in the PHU to assist with control of communicable diseases and environmental health work including tobacco control and skin penetration.
Rapid Surveillance
Centre for Evidence and Epidemiology
02.2017 - 02.2018
- Conducted daily syndromic surveillance of emergency department and Ambulance data and routine reporting activities to inform public health responses and actions
- Used statistical package SAS to conduct custom analyses of emergency department data to inform policy approaches and research projects
- Assessed the activity, timing and severity of the 2017 influenza season to inform preparedness for the 2018 season and presented results in a report and presentation
- Led the revision of response guidelines and a surveillance manual for the Public Health Rapid, Emergency, Disease Syndromic Surveillance (PHREDSS) system
- Represented the Rapid Surveillance team at the Emergency Department Data Collection Working Group
- Led the development of Standard Operating Procedures for daily syndromic surveillance activities and weekly surveillance reports to support the on-boarding of new staff
- Acted as Senior Surveillance Officer (Clerk Grade 9/10) for six months and as Principal Analyst (Clerk Grade 11/12), Rapid Surveillance over Christmas period.
Harm Reduction and Viral Hepatitis
Centre for Population Health
08.2016 - 02.2017
- Developed, implemented and evaluated a workforce capacity building initiative for the Needle and Syringe Program workforce including facilitating the delivery of webinars and face to face training for a diverse and geographically dispersed workforce
- Developed a policy options paper about diversifying the range of injecting equipment available in NSW to reduce receptive syringe sharing and the transmission of hepatitis C
- Managed changes to the Community Sharps Management Program including the website and enquiries from stakeholders and members of the public
- Worked in partnership with a range of internal and external stakeholders including Local Health Districts, non-government organisations particularly AIDS Council of NSW (ACON) and NSW Users and AIDS Association (NUAA) and research and training providers.
Public Health Officer
NSW Office of Preventive Health
02.2016 - 08.2016
- Drafted a discussion paper on obesity prevention programs for adolescents, including undertaking a literature review and desktop mapping exercise to determine the program approach in NSW.
- Developed an evidence based proposal for a community based active travel project for young people to be rolled out across three local health districts.
- Contributed to the design of a water trial in schools including reviewing the evidence on reducing sugar sweetened beverage consumption.
- Presented on projects at expert committees, including the Expert Childhood Overweight and Obesity Premier's Priority Committee.
- Coordinated the finalisation of the Get Healthy in Pregnancy evaluation and outcome report including analysing quantitative and qualitative data and co-authoring the report. Consulted with a range of government agencies, experts, and local health promotion staff to develop key projects, including Transport for NSW, NSW Department of Education, and NSW Advocate for Children and Young People.
- Led a process to procure a market research agency to undertake formative research wit young people to inform service improvements and increase participation in the Get Healthy Information and Coaching Service
Policy Officer (APS 6)
Bowel Cancer Screening
Australian Government Department of Health
11.2014 - 02.2016
- Developed policy for the expansion of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (Program) to biennial screening
- Provided strategic advice on the Program to the Minister and Executive
- Managed key projects to improve colonoscopy quality including the development of national standards for colonoscopy services
- Provided secretariat support for three Program advisory groups
- Worked in partnership with clinical experts, government and non-government agencies
- Acted as Assistant Director (Executive Level 1) and supervised staff including Graduates.
Policy Officer (APS6)
Preventive Health Partnership
Australian Government Department of Health
02.2013 - 11.2014
- Led policy development and national coordination of the National Partnership Agreement on Preventive Health (Partnership)
- Provided strategic advice on the Partnership to the Minister and Departmental Executive
- Assessed state and territory annual and financial reports under the Partnership
- Provided secretariat support for two Partnership committees.
Policy Officer (APS 5-6)
Healthy Children, Healthy Workers
Australian Government Department of Health
02.2010 - 02.2012
- Developed and coordinated national components of the Healthy Workers initiative: a Joint Statement with peak employer and worker representatives, a quality framework for providers of workplace programs, a website to assist employers to implement workplace healthy living programs
- Assessed state and territory implementations plans for the Healthy Workers and Healthy Children initiatives
- Worked in partnership with universities and peak employer and worker representatives to successfully draft and launch the Joint Statement of Commitment and National Healthy Workers Portal.
Graduate Development Program
Australian Government Department of Health
02.2009 - 02.2010
- Three diverse rotations: policy development, program management and secretariat work
- Developed, analysed and evaluated aged care and research related policy
- Assessed and implemented the Aged Care Extra Service Status Approvals Round
- Managed medical research infrastructure grants consistent with Grant Guidelines
- Secretariat work for Advisory Panel for the Marketing of Infant Formula in Australia.
Education
Master of Public Health - Health Promotion
University of Wollongong
01.2012
Bachelor of Arts - Population Health
University of Wollongong
Skills
- Epidemiology
- Public Health Research Methodology
- Statistics for Health Research
- Planning and Intelligence
- Incident Command Structure (ICS)
- Aboriginal Health
- Outbreak Management
- Epidemiological Reports
- Training and Development
- COVID-19 Response
- Communicable Diseases
- Evidence and Evaluation
- Policy Development
- Health Promotion
- Project Management
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Data Analysis
- Report Writing
- Policy Analysis
- Program Management
- Strategic Advice
- Secretariat Support
- Policy Development and Coordination
- National Partnership Agreements
- Preventive Health
- Program Implementation
- Aged Care Policy
- Research and Evaluation
- Grant Management
- Public Health Surveillance
- Syndromic Surveillance
- Statistical Analysis
- Risk Assessment
- Health Economics
- Stigma and Discrimination
- Public Health Law
- Emergency Management
- Writing Skills
- Health System Financing
- Injecting Drug Use
- Disease Screening
- Public Health Communication
Reports and submissions
- Rapid Surveillance 2017 Influenza Season Report, NSW Ministry of Health, 02/2018
- Getting the most out of NSW emergency department data for drug and alcohol surveillance and research, Australian Professional Society for Alcohol and Other Drugs, 11/2017
- What's in a name? The challenges of ice surveillance in NSW - a validation study, Australian Professional Society for Alcohol and Other Drugs, 11/2017
- Identifying drowning presentations to NSW emergency departments using key word searching, Australasian Epidemiological Association, 09/2017
- Get Healthy in Pregnancy - Evaluation and Outcomes Reports: A cluster randomised trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a telephone based coaching program in reducing excessive gestational weight gain amongst pregnant women, NSW Ministry of Health, 06/2016
Presentations
- Epidemiology and health risk of lead poisoning in NSW, NSW Ministry of Health Bug Breakfast Series, 03/2017
- Syndromic Surveillance and the 2017 Influenza season, NSW Emergency Department Data Collection Working Group, 08/2017
- Emergency department data: 2017 Influenza season, South Western Sydney Local Health District Research and Innovation Lecture Series, 05/2018
Training
- Rural Intensive, 06/2020
- Plain English Writing Course, 05/2018
- Epidemiology Special Interest Group: Dealing with variability in data, 07/2017
- Site visit: Lucas Height Nuclear Facility, 06/2017
- Smart Work with MS Outlook Workshop, 04/2017
- Epidemiology Special Interest Group: Is bigger better? The quality of administrative health data, 04/2017
- Introduction to SAS and SAPHaRI concepts, 03/2017
- Scientific Communication Workshop, 02/2017
- Risk Assessment, Built Environment and Climate Change, Environmental Health Policy and Practice Workshop, 02/2017
- Epidemiology Special Interest Group: Immunisation - Surveillance challenges and opportunities, 10/2016
- Evidence and Evaluation Workshop, 09/2016
- Health Economics and Health System Financing, 08/2016
- Stigma, Discrimination and Injecting Drug Use, HETI module, 08/2016
- Epidemiology Special Interest Group: Disease Screening, 07/2016
- Site visit: NSW Refugee Health Service, 06/2016
- Emergency Management Training, 05/2016
- Essential Writing Skills, 04/2016
- Epidemiology Special Interest Group: Epidemiology and Aboriginal Health, 04/2016
- Public Health Law, 03/2016
- Respecting the Difference face to face training, 03/2016
Timeline
Biopreparedness Epidemiologist
Public Health Unit
12.2019 - Current
Senior Project Officer
HARP and Targeted Programs Unit
10.2019 - 12.2019
Public Health Officer
Centre for Aboriginal Health
08.2019 - 10.2019
Public Health Unit
South Western Sydney Local Health District
02.2018 - 08.2018
Rapid Surveillance
Centre for Evidence and Epidemiology
02.2017 - 02.2018
Harm Reduction and Viral Hepatitis
Centre for Population Health
08.2016 - 02.2017
Public Health Officer
NSW Office of Preventive Health
02.2016 - 08.2016
Public Health Officer
NSW Public Health Training Program
02.2016 - 10.2019
Policy Officer (APS 6)
Bowel Cancer Screening
11.2014 - 02.2016
Policy Officer (APS6)
Preventive Health Partnership
02.2013 - 11.2014
Policy Officer (APS 5-6)
Healthy Children, Healthy Workers
02.2010 - 02.2012
Graduate Development Program
Australian Government Department of Health
02.2009 - 02.2010
Master of Public Health - Health Promotion
University of Wollongong
Bachelor of Arts - Population Health
University of Wollongong
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