Helen Siobhan Marshall (born 1962) is an Australian medical researcher who is Professor of Vaccinology at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

. She was named the

South Australian of the Year The Australian of the Year Award is given annually on Australia Day. The national award is a major public event, televised nationwide. The Award also operates at the State level. This page lists winners of the South Australia state award, who a ...

for 2022.

Early life and education

Marshall's mother was a nurse and her father a general practitioner. She completed her schooling at

Pembroke School, Adelaide , motto_translation = Out of Unity, Strength , established = 1915 (Girton Girls' School)1923 (King's College)1974 (amalgamation) , type = Independent, co-educational, day and boarding , denominatio ...

in 1979. Marshall graduated from the

with an

MBBS Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

in 1988. She returned to the university for postgraduate studies, receiving a

Masters in Public Health The Master of Public Health or Master of Philosophy in Public Health (M.P.H.), Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), Master of Medical Science in Public Health (MMSPH) and the Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.), International Masters for Healt ...

in 2004 and a

Doctorate of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

in 2011. She has also completed an international Advanced Vaccinology Course at the

Pasteur Institute The Pasteur Institute (french: Institut Pasteur) is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who invented pasteurization and vaccines f ...

in France.

Career

As a medical student, Marshall worked for a time in

Western Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); a ...

, which she has said has "guided her interest" in

vaccinology A vaccine is a biological Dosage form, preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease, infectious or cancer, malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verifie ...

. She then undertook paediatric training at the

Women's and Children's Hospital The Women's and Children's Hospital is located on King William Road in North Adelaide, Australia. It is one of the major hospitals in Adelaide and is a teaching hospital of the University of Adelaide, the University of South Australia and Flin ...

in Adelaide, where she saw the impact of serious infections from diseases without vaccines available. Marshall focused on research in vaccinology, public health and infectious diseases. She is Professor of Vaccinology in the Adelaide Medical School and Deputy Director, Clinical and Translational Research for the Robinson Research Institute at the University of Adelaide. She is also a Senior Medical Practitioner and Medial Director for Vaccinology and Immunology Research Trials Unit at the Women's and Children's Hospital. Marshall was awarded

NHMRC The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is the main statutory authority of the Australian Government responsible for medical research. It was the eighth largest research funding body in the world in 2016, and NHMRC-funded res ...

Career Development Fellowships in 2011 and 2015, and a Practitioner Fellowship in 2019. She has published over 211 peer-reviewed papers and been awarded 17 research grants totalling more than $33 million. She has been a member of

Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) is a technical advisory group of the Australian Government. As part of the Department of Health, ATAGI provides advice to the Minister of Health on the immunisation program of Aust ...

and continues to provide vaccination evaluations for the group, and she is an advisor to the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

. Marshall's research focus throughout her career has been on development of vaccines for

meningococcal disease Meningococcal disease describes infections caused by the bacterium ''Neisseria meningitidis'' (also termed meningococcus). It has a high mortality rate if untreated but is vaccine-preventable. While best known as a cause of meningitis, it can al ...

. She conducted a three-year large scale study of over 42,000 people across

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, the largest study of its kind and one that has been called a "game-changer", which will inform global research and understanding about the disease. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, Marshall provided advice to the state's Health Minister

Stephen Wade Stephen Graham Wade (born 28 March 1960) is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the South Australian Legislative Council since May 2006, representing the South Australian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia. Wade has serv ...

and Chief Public Health Officer

Nicola Spurrier Nicola Jane Spurrier PSM (born 9 December 1966) is an Australian paediatrician and public health physician who has been the Chief Public Health Officer of South Australia since August 2019. Education Spurrier graduated with a Bachelor of Medi ...

and was cited as one of Australia's leading vaccination experts. Commencing in September 2020, Marshall was co-investigator at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

in a Phase I Human Trial of a novel DNA-based

COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an e ...

developed by BioNet and Technovalia that could be administered without using a needle. She is also part of a

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

research team seeking to improve primary health care services for

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. They consist of two distin ...

and is leading a study to provide free meningococcal B vaccinations to

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

residents as she studies whether the vaccine can also provide protection against

gonorrhoea Gonorrhea, colloquially known as the clap, is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium ''Neisseria gonorrhoeae''. Infection may involve the genitals, mouth, or rectum. Infected men may experience pain or burning with ur ...

. In October 2021, Marshall was named

for her work in public health and infectious diseases, making her the state's nominee for

Australian of the Year The Australian of the Year is a national award conferred on an Australian citizen by the National Australia Day Council, a not-for-profit Australian Governmentowned social enterprise. Similar awards are also conferred at the State and Territo ...

. She was made a Member of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in the

2022 Australia Day Honours The 2022 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 2022 by the Governor General of Australia, David Hurley. The Australia ...

Awards and honours

* 2010 South Australia Science Award, Excellence in Research for the Public Good * 2019 SA Science Awards Excellence in Research Collaboration * 2020

Australia Day Council The National Australia Day Council (NADC) is a non-profit social enterprise owned by the Australian Government and is the national coordinating body for the Australian of the Year awards and Australia Day. It was established in 1979 and inco ...

South Australian Inspiring Women award * 2021 Fellow of the

Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences The Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences is an academy to promote health and medical sciences in Australia. It was established in June 2014. It cites "The Academy will serve the three purposes identified as of high priority in the 20 ...

* 2022

* 2022 Member of the

Personal life

During her paediatric training, Marshall married fellow doctor David Misan. They have three children.

Selected publications

* * * * * * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, Helen Siobhan Living people 1961 births Members of the Order of Australia Fellows of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences Scientists from Adelaide University of Adelaide Medical School alumni Academic staff of the University of Adelaide Vaccinologists Women medical researchers Australian medical researchers