A tuberculosis expert from The Kids Research Institute Australia and Curtin University has been named the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI) 2024 Rising Star in recognition of his groundbreaking work, which has shed new light on the disease and the strategies needed to control it.
Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s leading cause of death among infectious diseases, affecting 10 million people globally – including a million children under the age of 15 – and leading to around 1.5 million deaths per year. The highest burden occurs in low-income countries in Southeast Asia and Africa.
Dr Kefyalew Alene, who heads the Geospatial and Tuberculosis team at The Kids and is a senior research fellow within the Curtin School of Population Health, has used cutting edge technology to transform the way TB transmission is predicted, understood and managed globally.
Ethiopian-born Dr Alene was spurred to pursue a career focused on tackling TB after contracting the disease himself in 2015.
After undergoing six months of treatment, he decided to pursue a PhD in tuberculosis epidemiology at the Australian National University. Completing his PhD in 2019, he then joined The Kids Research Institute Australia and Curtin University as a post-doctoral research fellow.
Now, just five years later, Dr Alene is recognised as one of the world’s top TB researchers, with his innovative research projects providing new insights that have informed World Health Organization policy and control programs.
The geospatial modelling approach he and his team specialise in combines satellite imaging, environmental surveillance, and clinical data to accurately pinpoint TB ‘hot spots’ and learn why some communities are at higher risk than others. This has marked a significant shift from traditional, subjective mapping techniques to precise, data-driven mapping that can predict TB burden and spread in areas lacking survey data.
“Although in countries like Australia TB is a disease of the past, for many around the world it remains a serious threat,” Dr Alene said.
“Because of the number of people who continue to be significantly affected by TB, it is vital that we use the very latest technology to help governments and health authorities understand where TB is most prevalent. This in turn allows them to provide the most effective responses.”
Dr Alene said the most exciting thing about his work was that he was contributing to saving lives.
“My vision is to see a world where we are able to control tuberculosis and other preventable infectious diseases. We need to keep pushing boundaries in research,” he said.
The Rising Star Award, sponsored by CSL, was created by AAMRI to highlight early career researchers across Australia who are achieving significant impact through research, leadership and innovation.
AAMRI CEO Dr Saraid Billiards said Dr Alene’s accomplishments so early in his career were outstanding.
“Despite only having completed his PhD within the last five years, he is already a world leader in his field,” Dr Billiards said.
“It is fantastic to have this level of talent and brilliance in Australia, and this is why we need to make sure Australia provides adequate funding support to ensure Dr Alene and our other early career researchers can continue to lead ground-breaking research.”
She said the Rising Star Award was an important opportunity to recognise future leaders who would lead the way in identifying opportunities to improve the health of not only Australians but of all people.
The Kids Research Institute Australia Executive Director, Professor Jonathan Carapetis AM, said the fact Dr Alene was helping to shape global policy around one of the world’s most deadly diseases so early in his career was a testament to his excellence.
“Kefyalew brings an admirable passion and work ethic that has ensured his research is not only innovative and of a high standard, but is having real impact by helping to inform policy, clinical guidelines and public health interventions,” Professor Carapetis said.
“This is the kind of impact we all aspire to as researchers. Congratulations to Dr Alene for the contribution he has and continues to make.”
Dr Alene – who is also a National Health and Medical Research Council Emerging Leadership Fellow, a recent visiting Research Fellow at Harvard University and a previous visiting fellow at ANU – was one of four national finalists for the AAMRI Rising Star Award, with his win announced by Federal Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler at the AAMRI Dinner at Australian Parliament House, Canberra.