Working groups
Dr Thi Nguyen has been a data scientist at Burnet Institute since 2025, following his role as data manager from 2019. His research interests lie in healthcare data science, biostatistics, and data automation, with expertise in the application of advanced machine learning and natural language processing methods to public health data. Dr Nguyen has substantial experience with electronic data capture platforms, including REDCap, and is actively involved in integrating these systems into research workflows to support rigorous data collection, management, and analysis in public health studies.
Prior to joining Burnet, Dr Nguyen was a research fellow at the National University of Singapore, where he developed natural language processing algorithms to enhance infectious disease surveillance systems.
Long COVID is estimated to be costing the Australian economy $3.6 billion annually.1 Partly because of the variation in the definition of long COVID
The Optimise Study: A rapid survey examining frequency, impacts of long COVID and associated concerns. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT)The Optimise Study has followed a cohort of over 700 Victorians since September 2020. A rapid survey was conducted between 28 October and 4 November 2021 to assess optimise participants' views about the best ways to implement COVID-19 testing in schools.
COVID-19 testing in schools and attitudes and concerns about the current state of the pandemic. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT)The Optimise Study has followed a cohort of around 700 Victorians since September 2020. A rapid survey was conducted between 4 and 14 March 2022 to assess Optimise participants' concerns about children returning to school, COVID-19 testing in schools, views about COVID-19 prevention measures taken in schools, and the acceptability of closing schools under certain circumstances.
The Optimise Study: A rapid survey examining concerns about children returning to school in 2022. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT)PLoS ONE
Tianhui Ke, Zhang Yan-qin, Damian Pavlyshyn, Aimée Altermatt, Alexander Thomas, Thi Nguyen, Shelley Walker, Alisa Pedrana, Mark Stoové, Margaret Hellard
npj Digital Medicine
Carol El‐Hayek, Thi Nguyen, Margaret Hellard, M. David Curtis, Rachel Sacks‐Davis, Jason Asselin, Anna L. Wilkinson, Victoria Polkinghorne
BMJ Open
Alisa Pedrana, Anna L. Bowring, Katherine Heath, Alexander Thomas, Anna L. Wilkinson, Stephanie Fletcher, Freya Saich, Stephanie Munari, Aimée Altermatt, Thi Nguyen
PEARLS is the world’s largest study on aspirin use to prevent pre-eclampsia.
Partnering to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health threat by 2030.
Infectious diseases are an increasing global health threat, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
ACCESS Myanmar will implement and evaluate an electronic health records data linkage system that effectively monitors the progress of patients through HIV testing and treatment episodes of care across a network of partnering community and government services.
This project aims to find out how Victorians are experiencing COVID-19 and responding to the measures introduced to stop the spread of the virus.