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Stephanie Enkel

Research Assistant; PhD Candidate

Stephanie Enkel

Research Assistant; PhD Candidate

BSc (Hons), MPH, MIPH

Stephanie is an enthusiastic Early Career Researcher with an interest in infectious disease epidemiology. She has a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours, researching the immunisation attitudes of vaccine hesitant parents for her thesis, and a double Masters in Public Health and International Public Health focusing on infectious disease control. Stephanie has held roles in several public health sectors including investigating drowning epidemiology, injury prevention and rheumatic heart disease control.

Stephanie also served as a Policy Adviser to the Western Australian Minister for Health and Mental Health gaining a valuable skills insight into the intersection between public health and politics. She is presently a PhD Candidate and Research Assistant in the END RHD Program, The Kids Research Institute Australia and School of Medicine, University of Western Australia. Her research focuses on environmental health interventions to prevent Streptococcus pyogenes infections in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Projects

Skin health situational analysis to inform skin disease control programs for the Kimberley

Skin Health Situational Analysis to inform skin disease control programs for the Kimberley - outcomes

The Skin Health Situational Analysis was conducted in 2017 with and for stakeholders in the Kimberley region as a precursor to the SToP Trial to highlight all that was already known prior to commencement in 2018. It was completed to be a resource for communities in the Kimberley who would like to de

See, Treat, Prevent Skin Sores and Scabies (SToP) Trial

Healthy skin is important for maintaining overall health and wellbeing. Some skin infections, if untreated, can lead to serious downstream health complications such as heart disease, kidney disease, or sepsis.

Published research

Trimodal skin health programme for childhood impetigo control in remote Western Australia (SToP): a cluster randomised, stepped-wedge trial

Skin infections affect physical health and, through stigma, social-emotional health. When untreated, they can cause life-threatening conditions. We aimed to assess the effect of a holistic, co-designed, region-wide skin control programme on the prevalence of impetigo.

Multi-methods process evaluation of the SToP (See, Treat, Prevent) trial: a cluster randomised, stepped wedge trial to support healthy skin

Healthy skin is important for maintaining overall physical and cultural health and wellbeing. However, remote-living Australian Aboriginal children contend with disproportionally high rates of Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A) infected impetigo. 

"Hurts less, lasts longer"; a qualitative study on experiences of young people receiving high-dose subcutaneous injections of benzathine penicillin G to prevent rheumatic heart disease in New Zealand

Four-weekly intramuscular benzathine penicillin G injections to prevent acute rheumatic fever progression have remained unchanged since 1955. A Phase-I trial in healthy volunteers demonstrated the safety and tolerability of high-dose subcutaneous infusions of BPG which resulted in a much longer effective penicillin exposure, and fewer injections. Here we describe the experiences of young people living with ARF participating in a Phase-II trial of SubCutaneous Injections of BPG.

Searching for Strep A in the clinical environment during a human challenge trial: a sub-study protocol

Streptococcus pyogenes (also known as group A Streptococcus , Strep A) is an obligate human pathogen with significant global morbidity and mortality. Transmission is believed to occur primarily between individuals via respiratory droplets, but knowledge about other potential sources of transmission via aerosols or the environment is limited. Such knowledge is required to design optimal interventions to control transmission, particularly in endemic settings.

HipHop2SToP a community-led health promotion initiative empowering Aboriginal youth in the Kimberley region of Western Australia: a process evaluation

For millennia, Aboriginal people's ways of knowing, doing and being were shared through art, song, and dance. Colonisation silenced these ways, affecting loss of self-determination for Aboriginal people. Over the past decade in Australia, hip-hop projects have become culturally appropriate approaches for health promotion. 

Subcutaneous infusion of high-dose benzathine penicillin G is safe, tolerable, and suitable for less-frequent dosing for rheumatic heart disease secondary prophylaxis: a phase 1 open-label population pharmacokinetic study

Since 1955, the recommended strategy for rheumatic heart disease secondary prophylaxis has been benzathine penicillin G injections administered intramuscularly every 4 weeks. Due to dosing frequency, pain, and programmatic challenges, adherence is suboptimal. It has previously been demonstrated that BPG delivered subcutaneously at a standard dose is safe and tolerable and has favorable pharmacokinetics, setting the scene for improved regimens with less frequent administration.

The epidemiology of superficial Streptococcal A (impetigo and pharyngitis) infections in Australia: A systematic review

Streptoccocal A (Strep A, GAS) infections in Australia are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality through both invasive (iGAS) and post-streptococcal (postGAS) diseases as well as preceding superficial (sGAS) skin and throat infection. The burden of iGAS and postGAS are addressed in some jurisdictions by mandatory notification systems; in contrast, the burden of preceding sGAS has no reporting structure, and is less well defined.

Qualitative assessment of healthy volunteer experience receiving subcutaneous infusions of high-dose benzathine penicillin G (SCIP) provides insights into design of late phase clinical studies

Secondary prophylaxis to prevent rheumatic heart disease (RHD) progression, in the form of four-weekly intramuscular benzathine benzylpenicillin G (BPG) injections, has remained unchanged since 1955. Qualitative investigations into patient preference have highlighted the need for long-acting penicillins to be delivered less frequently, ideally with reduced pain.

Study protocol for controlled human infection for penicillin G against Streptococcus pyogenes: a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomised trial to determine the minimum concentration required to prevent experimental pharyngitis (the CHIPS trial)

Regular intramuscular benzathine penicillin G injections have been the cornerstone of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) secondary prophylaxis since the 1950s. As the pharmacological correlate of protection remains unknown, it is difficult to recommend changes to this established regimen. Determining the minimum effective penicillin exposure required to prevent Streptococcus pyogenes infection will accelerate development of new long-acting penicillins for RHD prevention as well as inform opportunities to improve existing regimens. The CHIPS trial will address this knowledge gap by directly testing protection afforded by different steady state plasma concentrations of penicillin in an established model of experimental human S. pyogenes pharyngitis.

Skin Health in Northern Australia

Achieving healthy skin requires the prevention of infectious diseases that affect the skin. Prevention activities range from environmental health improvements to address inequities in living situations, through to community-wide treatment programs to reduce transmission and improve skin health.

Education and Qualifications
  • The University of Western Australia, 2021 to present
    Doctor of Philosophy in Medicine
  • The University of New South Wales, 2016 – 2018
    Master of Public Health with Excellence
  • The University of New South Wales, 2016 – 2018
    Master of International Public Health in Infectious Disease Control with Excellence
  • The University of Western Australia, 2012 – 2015
    Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours in Population Health
Awards/Honours
  • 2023 Stan and Jean Perron Award for Excellence
  • 2022 The Kids Research Institute Australia Aspire Award
  • 2021-2023 Research Training Program Award
  • 2021-2023 Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Top Up Scholarship Award
  • 2020-2021 Women in Tropical Health Network, Hot North Catalyse Mentee
  • 2020 PHAIWA Advocacy e-Mentoring program mentee
  • 2015 The Cancer Council of Western Australia Vacation Award Recipient
  • 2014 Australian Epidemiological Association prize for excellence in Biostatistics and Epidemiology
  • 2013 and 2014 AsiaBound Scholar
  • 2013 University of Western Australia Certificate for Excellence in Public Health Award recipient
  • 2013 Australian India Student Experience Field Trip Member and Award recipient
  • 2012 University of Western Australia Excellence Award recipient
Active Collaborations
  • 2020 to present: The Immunisation Foundation of Australia Community Advisory Group Member