Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Professor Brendan Crabb AC PhD FAA FAHMS FASM is an infectious disease researcher with a special interest in malaria. His research group develops and exploits genetic approaches to better understand malaria parasite biology, principally to help prioritise vaccine and drug targets.
Although a molecular scientist by training, Professor Crabb’s interests include addressing technical and non-technical barriers to maternal, newborn and child health in the developing world. In recent years, under the banner of Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies, he has established a major research field site in East New Britain in Papua New Guinea, principally to identify the underlying drivers (including malaria) of low birth weight and stunting in relatively calorie-rich, yet resource-poor settings.
Since 2008 he has been the Director and CEO of the Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health (Burnet Institute), a research institute that Professor Crabb has steered to have a focus entirely on the health of neglected populations. He is the past-President of the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI), the peak body for independent medical research Institutes in Australia. Professor Crabb has played critical roles in transformative government policy and funding initiatives, including in the generation of the $20b Medical Research Future Fund.
He is currently a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA), a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (FAHMS) and of the Australian Society for Microbiology (FASM), serves on the governing Council of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia.
Internationally, he currently serves on the International Advisory Boards of the Sanger Institute (UK) and on the WHO Malaria Vaccine Advisory Committee (MALVAC) in Geneva. Professor Crabb was the Co-Founder of the 1st Malaria World Congress and of the Molecular Approaches to Malaria Conferences. In his home state of Victoria, is President of the Victorian Chapter of AAMRI.
Prior to 2008, Professor Crabb was a Senior Principal Research Fellow in the NHMRC and an International Fellow of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in the US. He is an experienced educator having been a full-time teaching and research academic at the University of Melbourne (1996-2000) and has been immersed in education at secondary and tertiary levels ever since.
In 2015, he was awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia, Australia’s highest civilian honour, for contributions to better understanding infectious diseases and their impact on poor and vulnerable communities, and for fostering medical research as an advocate, mentor and administrator.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Research area keywords
- Parasite biology
- Malaria
- Infectious Disease
Network
Projects
- 1 Finished
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An advanced in vivo imaging facility
Sloan, E., Crabb, B., Hartland, E. L., Heath, W., Hickey, M., McFadden, G., Mueller, S., Villadangos, J. A., de Konig-ward, T. & Caminschi, I.
Australian Research Council (ARC)
1/01/14 → 31/12/14
Project: Research
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Mycoplasma genitalium and other reproductive tract infections in pregnant women, Papua New Guinea, 2015-2017
Scoullar, M. J. L., Boeuf, P., Peach, E., Fidelis, R., Tokmun, K., Melepia, P., Elijah, A., Bradshaw, C. S., Fehler, G., Siba, P. M., Erskine, S., Mokany, E., Kennedy, E., Umbers, A. J., Luchters, S., Robinson, L. J., Wong, N. C., Vallely, A. J., Badman, S. G., Vallely, L. M., & 5 others , Mar 2021, In: Emerging Infectious Diseases. 27, 3, p. 894-904 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
7 Citations (Scopus) -
Risk factors and knowledge associated with high unintended pregnancy rates and low family planning use among pregnant women in Papua New Guinea
Peach, E., Morgan, C., Scoullar, M. J. L., Fowkes, F. J. I., Kennedy, E., Melepia, P., Homiehombo, P., Au, L., Luchters, S., Umbers, A. J., Vallely, A., Vallely, L. M., Kelly-Hanku, A., Robinson, L. J., Crabb, B. S., Elijah, A., Siba, P. M., Pomat, W. & Beeson, J. G., Dec 2021, In: Scientific Reports. 11, 1, 13 p., 1222.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access8 Citations (Scopus) -
The introduction of a mandatory mask policy was associated with significantly reduced COVID-19 cases in a major metropolitan city
Scott, N., Saul, A., Spelman, T., Stoove, M., Pedrana, A., Saeri, A., Grundy, E., Smith, L., Toole, M., McIntyre, C. R., Crabb, B. S. & Hellard, M., Jul 2021, In: PLoS ONE. 16, 7, 14 p., e0253510.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access18 Citations (Scopus) -
Evaluation of the effectiveness of topical repellent distributed by village health volunteer networks against Plasmodium spp. infection in Myanmar: A stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial
Agius, P. A., Cutts, J. C., Oo, W. H., Thi, A., O’Flaherty, K., Aung, K. Z., Thu, H. K., Aung, P. P., Thein, M. M., Zaw, N. N., Min Htay, W. Y., Soe, A. P., Razook, Z., Barry, A. E., Htike, W., Devine, A., Simpson, J. A., Crabb, B. S., Beeson, J. G., Pasricha, N., & 1 others , Aug 2020, In: PLoS Medicine. 17, 8, 21 p., e1003177.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access7 Citations (Scopus) -
Erratum: Liver-Resident Memory CD8+ T Cells Form a Front-Line Defense against Malaria Liver-Stage Infection (Immunity (2016) 45(4) (889–902), (S1074761316303351), (10.1016/j.immuni.2016.08.011))
Fernandez-Ruiz, D., Ng, W. Y., Holz, L. E., Ma, J. Z., Zaid, A., Wong, Y. C., Lau, L. S., Mollard, V., Cozijnsen, A., Collins, N., Li, J., Davey, G. M., Kato, Y., Devi, S., Skandari, R., Pauley, M., Manton, J. H., Godfrey, D. I., Braun, A., Tay, S. S., & 13 others , 15 Oct 2019, In: Immunity. 51, 4, p. 780 1 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment / Debate › Other › peer-review
Open Access9 Citations (Scopus)