Orla Morrissey

Orla Morrissey is an Adjunct Professor at Monash University's Department of Infectious Diseases. She serves as an Infectious Diseases Physician at Alfred Health, Melbourne, and leads the Immunocompromised Host Consult Service there. Her research focuses on improving infection management in immunocompromised individuals, including cancer patients and transplant recipients.

• Monash University, Department of Infectious Diseases
• Alfred Health, Immunocompromised Host Consult Service

Research Interests: Prof. Morrissey's work addresses opportunistic infections (OI) in immunocompromised hosts, with emphasis on Aspergillus, Nocardia, and Cytomegalovirus (CMV). Her group investigates:

• Prevention and early diagnosis of OI
• Epidemiological risk factors for infections
• Host immune responses and virulence mechanisms
• Resistance mechanisms in pathogens
• Cost-effectiveness of antifungal strategies

Key Projects: The UPPRITE Study (universal vs. pre-emptive antifungal therapy post-lung transplantation) and immune recovery studies post-bone marrow transplantation are central to her research. These projects aim to individualize antimicrobial prophylaxis and vaccination.

Publications: With over 70 co-authored articles, her work appears in journals like Clinical Infectious Diseases and Blood Advances. Recent studies include economic evaluations of immunoglobulin use, comparative trials of antifungal therapies, and genomic analyses of Aspergillus isolates.