Karen Waller

Dr. Karen Waller is a Research Fellow at the University of Sydney's School of Public Health and a practicing Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist at Concord Repatriation General Hospital. She holds a PhD in infections related to solid organ transplantation and has expertise in epidemiology, meta-research, and population health. Her work focuses on healthcare equity, over-diagnosis, and applying data-driven insights to hepatology and transplantation medicine.

Education: PhD (University of Sydney), MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery), BSc(Adv) (Advanced Science), and FRACP (Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

Research Interests:

• Epidemiology of blood-borne viruses and organ transplantation
• Healthcare equity in transplantation access
• Risk aversion in medical decision-making
• Data linkage methodologies for public health
• Meta-research and systematic reviews in healthcare

Publications Trends: Her work spans transplantation outcomes, infection control in organ donation, and healthcare policy. Recent studies address geographic barriers to liver transplantation, the impact of biosimilars in inflammatory bowel disease, and cost-effectiveness of high-risk organ donations.

Awards:

• 2022 Professor Margaret Kelaher Best PhD Paper Award
• TSANZ Early Career Researcher Awards (2021, 2019, 2018)
• TTS-ISODP Scientific Award (2019)

Grants & Funding:

• 2025 NHMRC Collaborations in Health Services Research Grant ($500k)
• 2024 Faculty of Medicine and Health Targeted Funding
• 2023 FMH Clinical Title Holder Travel Grant

Labs/Teams: Active in the NHRMC Clinical Trials Centre and collaborates with the Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ).