Matthew O'Sullivan

Clinical Associate Professor Matthew O'Sullivan is an academic at the University of Sydney's Westmead Clinical School, affiliated with the Department of Medicine. He holds memberships in the Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute (Sydney ID) and has expertise in infectious diseases and medical microbiology. His clinical work focuses on staphylococcal infections, tropical medicine, HIV, and high consequence infectious diseases (HCIDs) like Ebola and COVID-19. He also specializes in genotyping-based surveillance of hospital-acquired pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Dr. O'Sullivan graduated with an MBBS from the University of Queensland (1996). He later obtained a Master of Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology) from the University of Sydney and a PhD (2013) for his thesis on MRSA typing systems. He also holds a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

His research interests span molecular epidemiology of bacterial pathogens, particularly MRSA, and translational applications of microbial genotyping in infection control. He actively explores HCID clinical biocontainment protocols, SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics, and diagnostic methodologies for emerging viral threats. His work emphasizes integrating genomic data with clinical practice to improve antimicrobial stewardship and outbreak management.

Recent studies include the ASCOT ADAPT adaptive platform trial for MRSA therapeutics and the SABRes project analyzing SARS-CoV-2 drug resistance mutations. He has contributed to national pandemic response initiatives through genomic surveillance and seroprevalence studies.

Dr. O'Sullivan has led multiple grants including NHMRC-funded projects on MRSA transmission and genomic analysis. His work involves collaboration with major institutions like the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Sydney ID team. He has not listed any formal advisees in his profile.

His contributions to infection control include developing the mPCR/RLB binary typing system and evaluating diagnostic assays like the BD Max StaphSR. He advocates for patient-centered approaches in preventing healthcare-associated infections through visual ethnography and clinician feedback mechanisms.