Personal profile
Biography
Christopher Fairley (AO) was the Director of the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre between 2001 and 2025 and oversaw it tranform into one of the most successful clinical research STI centres in the world. He is currently a Professor of Public Health at Monash University. He holds three specialist medical fellowships from the College of Physicians (Infectious Diseases), Faculty of Public Health and Chapter of Sexual Health Medicine. He was editor of the Journal ‘Sexual Health’ from its inception in 2004 until 2023. His principle research interests are the public health control of sexually transmitted diseases and the effectiveness of clinical services, particularly the use of information technology to improve efficiency. He has supervised 40 doctoral students to completion. He over 1,000 peer reviewed journal publications and is the current president of the International Union Against Sexually Transmitted Infections. He has been on the scientific organising committee for many international meetings and given plenaries, debates or symposia almost every year. In 2018 he was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to Community Health, a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) Eric Susman Prize and elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS) in recognition for his work. Lancet ID profiled him ‘Kit Fairley; a pioneer in STI research’ in April 2018.
External positions
President of the Australasian Chapter of Sexual Health Medicine, Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP)
4 May 2020 → 3 May 2022
Assistant Secretary, International Union against Sexually Transmitted Infections (IUSTI)
2011 → …
Editor Sexual Health Journal, CSIRO - Publishing (Victoria)
Jan 2004 → 31 Mar 2023
Research area keywords
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Sexual Health
- HIV prevention
- HIV/AIDS
- Human Papillomavirus
- sexually transmitted infections
- Sexual behaviour
- Preventive Medicine
- Health Promotion
- Venereology
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):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 4 Quality Education -
SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation -
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities -
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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eSTI: A digital sexual health hub: Co-design & evaluation of an online sexual health clinic
Hocking, J. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Fairley, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Sanci, L. A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Chang, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Kong, F. Y. S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Lim, M. S. C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Bickerstaffe, A. C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Ong, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Tomnay, J. E. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Karahalios, A. E. (Chief Investigator (CI))
1/09/21 → 31/08/27
Project: Research
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Developing and implementing systems to optimise treatment, care and support among people diagnosed with HIV
Prestage, G. P. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Jin, F. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Mao, L. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Grulich, A. E. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Guy, R. J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Kaldor, J. M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Donovan, B. J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Fairley, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Brown, G. E. (Chief Investigator (CI))
Project: Research
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HYPER3: A cross-sectional study to evaluate the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in young men who have sex with men 10 years after the implementation of school-based universal male HPV vaccination program in Australia.
Chow, E. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Chen, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Fairley, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Williamson, D. (Chief Investigator (CI))
MSD (Merck Sharp & Dohme Australia) Pty Ltd
1/01/23 → 31/12/25
Project: Research
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CURE-NG: A Human Challenge Model to Develop New Treatments for Gonorrhoea
McCarthy, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Williamson, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Fairley, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Chen, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Steer, A. C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Osowicki, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Williams, E. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Jamrozik, Z. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Lewin, S. (Chief Investigator (CI))
14/04/22 → 30/06/25
Project: Research
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HOPE: Ending HIV transmission by Optimizing Pre-exposure prophylaxis in East Asia (HOPE)
Ong, J. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Zhang, L. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Phillips, T. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Chow, E. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Lee, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Fairley, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Grulich, A. E. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Bavinton, B. R. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Schmidt, H. M. A. (Associate Investigator (AI))
1/01/22 → 31/12/24
Project: Research
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Evaluating completion rates between kiosk and smartphone computer-assisted self-interviewing at a sexual health clinic in Melbourne: a before-and-after implementation study
Wijekoon, D., Latt, P. M., Fairley, C. K., Ong, J. J., Chen, M. Y., Rahman, R., Fortune, R. & Chow, E. P. F., Feb 2026, In: Sexual Health. 23, 1, 10 p., SH25119.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
An oropharyngeal gonorrhoea controlled human infection model: a provisional protocol using a novel Neisseria gonorrhoeae challenge strain
Williams, E., Pollock, G. L., Price, D. J., Crocker-Buque, T., de Kretser, D., Jamrozik, E., Osowicki, J., Pasricha, S., Azzato, F., Steer, A., Groom, J. R., Hill, D. L., Roberts, J. A., Huston, W. M., Seib, K. L., Fairley, C. K., Chow, E. P. F., Chen, M. Y., Hocking, J. S. & Williamson, D. A. & 1 others, , 2025, In: Wellcome Open Research. 10, 37 p., 636.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Other › peer-review
Open Access1 Link opens in a new tab Citation (Scopus) -
Anxiety responses and testing intentions among gay and bisexual men using an AI-powered HIV/STI risk assessment tool: a quasi-experimental study
Latt, P. M., Soe, N. N., Xu, X., Bao, Y., Lee, D., Ong, J. J., Chow, E. P. F., Zhang, L. & Fairley, C. K., Dec 2025, In: BMC Public Health. 25, 1, 11 p., 4028.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
Australian Sexual Health Service Users’ Perspectives on Reducing the Oral Transmission of Bacterial STIs: A Qualitative Study
King, A. J., Bilardi, J. E., Fairley, C. K., Maddaford, K., Chow, E. P. F. (Leading Author) & Phillips, T. R., 2025, In: The Journal of Sex Research. 62, 7, p. 1214-1225 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access3 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
Correction: Radiomics analysis for the early diagnosis of common sexually transmitted infections and skin lesions (PLOS Digital Health (2025) 4:7 (e0000926) DOI: 10.1371/journal.pdig.0000926)
Sun, J., Yu, Z., Li, Y., Towns, J. M., Zhang, L., Ong, J. J., Ge, Z., Fairley, C. K. & Zhang, L., Oct 2025, In: PLoS Digital Health. 4, 10 October, 1 p., e0001079.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment / Debate › Other › peer-review
Open Access
Prizes
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2021 Australasian Sexual and Reproductive Health Alliance (ASRHA) Innovation Award
Chow, E. (Recipient), Fairley, C. (Recipient), Chen, M. (Recipient), Bradshaw, C. (Recipient), Zhang, L. (Recipient), Hocking, J. S. (Recipient) & Williamson, D. A. (Recipient), 6 Sept 2021
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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2022 Alfred Health Recognising Excellence Awards for Improvement, Innovation and Research – Team Category Winner
Fairley, C. (Recipient), Bradshaw, C. (Recipient), Chow, E. (Recipient), Chen, M. (Recipient) & Ong, J. (Recipient), 1 Dec 2022
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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2022 Australian Museum Eureka Prize Winner - Australian Infectious Diseases Reseaarch Centre Eureka Prize for Infectious Diseases Research
Chow, E. (Recipient), Fairley, C. (Recipient), Bradshaw, C. (Recipient), Hocking, J. S. (Recipient), Williamson, D. A. (Recipient) & Chen, M. (Recipient), 31 Aug 2022
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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2023 CAPHIA Research Excellence Award (Team)
Chow, E. (Recipient), Fairley, C. (Recipient), Bradshaw, C. (Recipient), Chen, M. (Recipient) & Ong, J. (Recipient), 21 Sept 2023
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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2023 City of Melbourne Award, 2023 LGBTIQA+ Award
Fairley, C. (Recipient), 2023
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Activities
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1. Why we need STI services?
Fairley, C. (Contributor)
17 Sept 2024 → 20 Sept 2024Activity: Community Talks, Presentations, Exhibitions and Events › Public lecture/debate/seminar
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HPV vaccine programme a successful story
Fairley, C. (Contributor)
12 Sept 2024 → 14 Sept 2024Activity: Community Talks, Presentations, Exhibitions and Events › Public lecture/debate/seminar
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Australasian Sexual and Reproductive Health Conference
Fairley, C. (Invited speaker)
18 Sept 2023 → 20 Sept 2023Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
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STI & HIV World Congress (IUSTI Europe at the ISSTDR-IUSTI World Conference) Chicago. Dedicated to 100 years IUSTI World
Fairley, C. (Invited speaker)
24 Jul 2023 → 27 Jul 2023Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
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Sri Lanka College of Sexual Health Medicine (SLCoSHH)
Fairley, C. (Keynote/plenary speaker)
27 Oct 2022 → 29 Oct 2022Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference