Dr Allegra Schermuly is a research-only academic in the School of Social Sciences. Dr Schermuly was awarded her PhD in 2018 and is also a registered nurse with postgraduate qualifications. Prior to training as a sociologist, she gained extensive healthcare industry experience as a critical care nurse (perioperative), clinical teacher and accredited immuniser with 25 years’ experience in various nursing roles in the UK and Australia, including as a lead operating theatre practitioner (plastic surgery) at renowned plastics, maxillofacial and burns surgery centre, the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, UK; as an anaesthetic nurse with Peninsula Health in Melbourne; and as a nurse immuniser in the Victorian COVID-19 response with Monash Health.

Since 2017, Dr Schermuly has been employed on three ARC Discovery Projects at Monash: DP17 A sociological study of patients’ use of digital media; DP20 The sociology of antibiotics and the antimicrobial resistance crisis; DP23 Understanding the role of digital technologies in addressing loneliness. Her research assistant experience also includes projects on topics including transitioning the auto-industry workforce folllowing the termination of car manufacturing in Australia (RMIT), medical tourism, the experiences of Indian nurses in Australia, reviewing the evidence for effective antimicrobial resistance communication and education and improving decisions about access to stem cell interventions.

In 2024, with colleagues from University of Melbourne, UNSW and University of Washington (US), Allegra was awarded an EMCR MRFF incubator grant for the project COMet AMS: Constructing One Health Metrics for evaluating Antimicrobial Stewardship. Over the two years of the study, the COMet team aims to establish international One Health consensus definitions of ‘appropriate antimicrobial use’.

Allegra specialises in the sociology of health and illness with a focus on appropriate communication and stakeholder engagement in effective responses to health issues, including in relation to the impact of digital technologies on consumer experiences of healthcare. She is a highly experienced research assistant with skills which include in-depth, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, surveys, research translation workshops and coding and analysis of qualitative data to inform publications, policy development and practice guidelines.