Professor Helen Marshall AM

Vaccination researcher

2022 SA Australian of the Year

Professor Helen Marshall is one of Australia’s most celebrated and recognised vaccination researchers. Specialising in vaccinology, public health and infectious diseases at the University of Adelaide’s Robinson Research Institute, Helen has been involved in game-changing studies that have had a global impact.

A key focus is the fight to stop meningococcal B. Helen is a lead investigator for the ‘B Part of It’ study, which assessed the effectiveness of meningococcal B vaccines on invasive meningococcal disease in Australian teens and young adults. The study is the largest of its kind globally and investigates the herd immunity impact of the meningococcal B vaccine.

Since 2004, Helen has published 211 peer-reviewed papers and been awarded 17 research grants totalling more than $33 million. She’s also been the recipient of three National Health and Medical Research Council Fellowships.

During the pandemic, Helen has provided advice about meningococcal B and COVID-19 to the South Australian Minister for Health and the Chief Public Health Officer.