Professor Bart Currie

Director, HOT NORTH; Director, RHDAustralia; Team leader, Tropical and Emerging Infectious Diseases

Qualifications:

Fellow of the Australian Faculty of Public Health Medicine, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, 1990; Fellow, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, 1985; Diploma of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 1985; Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, University of Melbourne, 1978.

Approved level of HDR supervision at Charles Darwin University:

Principal Supervisor for PhD

Location:

Darwin - Royal Darwin Hospital campus

Biography:

Prof Currie’s passion is in coordinating links between clinicians, public health colleagues and other service providers, laboratory scientists and community.

Initially head of the early Menzies Clinical Division and then Interim Director of Menzies from August 2005 to March 2006, Professor Currie now leads the Tropical and Emerging Infectious Diseases team within the Global and Tropical Health Division. He is also Director of Infectious Diseases at the Royal Darwin Hospital, Professor in Medicine at the Northern Territory Medical Program, Flinders University, Adjunct Professorial Fellow at Charles Darwin University and Adjunct Professor at James Cook University. 

He is Director of both RHDAustralia and HOT NORTH.. He was appointed to the Technical Reference Group for the Australian Government’s new Regional Health Security Initiative in July 2017.

His collaborations across Central and Northern Australia and with clinical and scientific colleagues elsewhere in Australia and overseas have resulted in  over 580 peer-reviewed publications.

Prof Currie has peer reviewed grants for the NHMRC since the 1990s and has peer reviewed for 52 journals, including The Lancet, The New England Journal of Medicine and a range of PLoS and BMC open access journals. He has supervised 18 successfully completed PhDs and seven Master by Research students.

Professor Bart Currie
Email
Research Themes

  1. Wiersinga, W.J., Virk, H.S., Torres, A.G., Currie, B.J., Peacock, S.J., Dance, D.A.B., Limmathurotsakul, D. (2018) Melioidosis. Nature Rev Dis Primers;4:17107

  2. Sarovich, D.S., Chapple, S.N.J., Price, E.P., Mayo, M., Holden, M.T.G., Peacock, S.J., Currie, B.J. (2017) Whole-genome sequencing to investigate a non-clonal melioidosis cluster on a remote Australian island. Microb Genom;3(8):e000117

  3. Viberg, L.T., Sarovich, D.S., Kidd, T.J., Geake, J.B., Bell, S.C., Currie, B.J., Price, E. (2017) Within-host evolution of Burkholderia pseudomallei during chronic infection of seven Australian cystic fibrosis patients. mBio;8:e003356-17

  4. Price, E.P., Sarovich, D.S., Smith, E.J., MacHunter, B., Harrington, G., Theobald, V., Hall, C.M., Hornstra, H.M., McRobb, E., Podin, Y., Mayo, M., Wagner, D.M., Keim, P., Kaestli, M., Currie, B.J. (2016) Unprecedented melioidosis cases in northern Australia caused by an Asian Burkholderia pseudomallei strain identified by using large-scale comparative genomics. Appl Environ Microbiol:954-963

  5. Sarovich, D.S., Garin, B., De Smet, B., Kaestli, M., Mayo, M., Vandamme, P., Jacobs, J., Lompo, P., Tahita, M.C., Tinto, H., Djaomalaza, I., Currie, B.J., Price, E.P. (2016) Phylogenomic analysis reveals an Asian origin for African Burkholderia pseudomallei and further supports melioidosis endemicity in Africa. mSphere

  6. Kaestli, M., Grist, E., Mayo, M., Ward, L., Hill, A., Currie, B.J. (2016) The association of melioidosis with climatic factors in Darwin, Australia: a 23-year time-series analysis. J Infect;72:687-697.doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2016.02.015.

  7. Currie, B.J., Kaestli, M. (2016) A global picture of melioidosis. Nature;529:290-291.

  8. Chapple,S.N.J., Sarovich, D.S., Holden, M.T.G., Peacock, S.J., Buller, N., Golledge, C., Mayo, M., Currie, B.J., Price, E.P. (2016) Whole-genome sequencing of a quarter-century melioidosis outbreak in temperate Australia uncovers a region of low-prevalence endemicity. Microbial Genomics;2(7):e000067

  9. Currie, B.J., Price, E.P., Mayo, M., Kaestli, M., Theobald, V., Harrington, I., Harrington, G., Sarovich, D.S. (2015) Use of whole genome sequencing to link Burkholderia pseudomallei from air sampling to mediastinal melioidosis, Australia. Emerg Infect Dis;21:2052-2054.

  10. McRobb, E., Sarovich, D.S., Price, E.P., Kaestli, M., Mayo, M., Keim, P., Currie, B.J. (2015) Tracing melioidosis back to the source: using whole-genome sequencing to investigate an outbreak originating from a contaminated domestic water supply. J Clin Microbiol;53:1144-1148.

Click here to view more Bart Currie publications in PubMed.
  1. Skin disease a 'national crisis'

    Skin disease a 'national crisis'

    Date

    NT News report on the HOT NORTH One Disease Skin Symposium attend by Australia's first Indigenous dermatologist Larrakia woman Dr Dana Slape

  2. First Aboriginal Australian Dermatologist to Attend Skin Health Symposium in Darwin

    First Aboriginal Australian Dermatologist to Attend Skin Health Symposium in Darwin

    Date

    This week Larrakia woman, Dr Dana Slape, Australia's first Aboriginal dermatologist, is back home to country to attend a Skin Health Symposium

  3. A wet cough for four weeks means it’s time to get it checked out

    A wet cough for four weeks means it’s time to get it checked out

    Date

    Dr André Schultz and Ms Pamela Laird receive funding from the NHMRC and Hot North grant funding through Menzies School of Health Research.

  4. Tropical health HOT topic at forum

    Tropical health HOT topic at forum

    Date

    The health of people living in the North West was discussed at a key forum in Port Hedland recently involving national and local experts in the field.

  5. Media Release | HOT NORTH Katherine Health Translation Workshop 14-15 March 2019

    Media Release | HOT NORTH Katherine Health Translation Workshop 14-15 March 2019

    Date

    HOT NORTH Katherine Health Translation Workshop 14-15 March 2019

  6. Youth leaders learn about health hurdles of NT

    Youth leaders learn about health hurdles of NT

    Date

    Th Sun Newspapers | The Ship for World Youth Leaders (SWY) program, have visited the Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies)

  7. Cases of deadly dirt disease melioidosis will increase, expert warns

    Cases of deadly dirt disease melioidosis will increase, expert warns

    Date

    Professor Bart Currie from the Menzies School of Health Research said he expected the melioidosis bacteria would increase in tropical regions.

  8. International youth leaders sail into Menzies School of Health Research

    International youth leaders sail into Menzies School of Health Research

    Date

    The Ship for World Youth Leaders (SWY) program, have visited the Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies) to learn about some of the key public health challenges in the region.

  9. NMRC Strives to Reduce Risk of Melioidosis Among Deployed Sailors and Marines

    NMRC Strives to Reduce Risk of Melioidosis Among Deployed Sailors and Marines

    Date

    Dr. Kevin Schully, contractor and chief science officer with Naval Medical Research Center’s (NMRC) Austere environments Consortium for Enhanced Sepsis Outcomes Department (ACESO) recently retuned stateside after screening Sailors and Marines deployed to Darwin, Australia, who are at risk of developing melioidosis.

  10. HOT NORTH Thursday Island Teaching Workshop

    HOT NORTH Thursday Island Teaching Workshop

    Date

    Health professionals from around Queensland have gathered on Thursday Island for the much-anticipated HOT NORTH regional teaching workshop on 24-25 July.

  11. Why aren't there stinger nets so people can swim at Darwin beaches?

    Why aren't there stinger nets so people can swim at Darwin beaches?

    Date

    Professor Bart Currie contributes to the "Curious Darwin" story.

  12. Territory sporting great, tough battle with melioidosis | NT News

    Territory sporting great, tough battle with melioidosis | NT News

    Date

    Former Essendon great Michael Long credits Professor Bart Currie for his diagnosis and treatment for melioidosis.

  13. HOT NORTH Visiting Fellow, Arca Testamenti Travels to Darwin

    HOT NORTH Visiting Fellow, Arca Testamenti Travels to Darwin

    Date

    HSP recently partnered with the Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin, Australia to support a HOT NORTH Visiting Fellowship for an exceptional graduate student from Indonesia’s Bogor Agricultural University.

  14. NT News | HOT NORTH ASM

    NT News | HOT NORTH ASM

    Date

    NT News report on the HOT NORTH Annual Scientifiv Symposium.

  15. HOT NORTH researchers gather in Darwin

    HOT NORTH researchers gather in Darwin

    Date

    The HOT NORTH research initiative will be holding its inaugural Annual Scientific Symposium at Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies) in Darwin, from 24 to 25 May, 2018.

  16. Pain free golden staph treatment cleared for use in remote communities

    Pain free golden staph treatment cleared for use in remote communities

    Date

    A northern Australian research team has provided reassuring support for the continued use of an oral treatment option for patients with skin infections, finding that there has been inaccurate reporting of resistance to the recommended antibiotic.

  17. National Healthy Skin Guideline

    National Healthy Skin Guideline

    Date

  18. Katherine doctors push for more public housing

    Katherine doctors push for more public housing

    Date

    Katherine Times reports on the HOT NORTH Teaching Workshop.

  19. HOT NORTH Katherine Teaching Workshop 20-21 February

    HOT NORTH Katherine Teaching Workshop 20-21 February

    Date

    HOT NORTH, a four-year National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funded research program led by Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies), is hosting a teaching workshop in Katherine, Northern Territory from 20-21 February 2018.

  20. Territory FM | Mornings with Mel Little. Professor Bart Currie

    Territory FM | Mornings with Mel Little. Professor Bart Currie

    Date

    ASK AN EXPERT: Wednesday the 7th of February 2018 Professor Bart Currie, HOT NORTH Program.

  21. HOT NORTH 2018 funding awards released: Building the health research workforce in northern Australia

    HOT NORTH 2018 funding awards released: Building the health research workforce in northern Australia

    Date

    A total of 13 new health research projects have been announced as part of HOT NORTH, a four-year National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funded program led by Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies).

  22. Inspire magazine | HOT NORTH

    Inspire magazine | HOT NORTH

    Date

    HOT NORTH Director, Menzies’s Professor Bart Currie envisages that, “by building the capacity of health professionals and scientists in northern Australia, we’re working towards improvements in health outcomes not only for Australia, but also the Asia-Pacific region.

  23. Developing Northern Australia 2017 Implementation Report

    Developing Northern Australia 2017 Implementation Report

    Date

    Page 20 - Case Study | The Australian Government funded HOT NORTH project has hit the ground running in 2017, and is building north Australia’s expertise and capacity in tropical medicine through research projects that will transfer new knowledge to communities.

  24. MRSA shifting from hospitals to community

    MRSA shifting from hospitals to community

    Date

    MJA InSight Issue 42 / 30 October 2017 - The epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has changed, and efforts to control transmission must also shift to include community settings as well as more traditional hospital surveillance and control programs, according to the authors of research published in the MJA.

  25. HOT NORTH: A community of excellence in tropical medicine

    HOT NORTH: A community of excellence in tropical medicine

    Date

    The Australian Government funded HOT NORTH project has hit the ground running in 2017, and is building north Australia’s expertise and capacity in tropical medicine through research projects that will transfer new knowledge to communities.

  26. Melioidosis study improves patient outcomes

    Melioidosis study improves patient outcomes

    Date

    Melioidosis study improves patient outcomes Our research continued to put Menzies at the centre of better melioidosis patient outcomes through improved diagnosis and treatment. In August 2016, the Menzies melioidosis team contributed to 17 abstracts at...

  27. Territory Q features HOT NORTH

    Territory Q features HOT NORTH

    Date

    Read about our HOT NORTH collaboration in the latest Territory Q Magazine.

  28. Australian native animals spreading scrub typhus mite prompt warning

    Australian native animals spreading scrub typhus mite prompt warning

    Date

    Scrub typhus is just one of many tropical diseases in the NT that are not so well known down south.

  29. Melioidosis: More cases of potentially fatal bacteria from NT dirt emerge

    Melioidosis: More cases of potentially fatal bacteria from NT dirt emerge

    Date

    More people are being infected by a potentially fatal bacterium in the Northern Territory, and health experts suspect building works could have something to do with the rise in cases.

  30. HOT NORTH Fellowships to improve health outcomes in the tropics

    HOT NORTH Fellowships to improve health outcomes in the tropics

    Date

    Five post-doctoral health professionals have been awarded Fellowships to help close critical gaps in health outcomes in northern Australia and the Asia-Pacific region as part of the unique collaborative program Improving Health Outcomes in the Tropical North (HOT NORTH), led by the Darwin-based Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies).

  31. Menzies helps track the travels of the deadly melioidosis bacteria

    Menzies helps track the travels of the deadly melioidosis bacteria

    Date

    An international team of experts has confirmed the Australian origins of the bacterium (Burkholderia pseudomallei) which causes the potentially fatal infectious disease melioidosis and tracked its global dissemination.

  32. Melioidosis: The Most Neglected Tropical Disease

    Melioidosis: The Most Neglected Tropical Disease

    Date

    Three sessions at the American Society for Microbiology 2017 Biothreats conference covered specific emerging diseases. Two of these, Zika and Ebola, have received a lot of media coverage (including on this blog), but the third disease, melioidosis, isn’t frequently found in newspaper headlines.

  33. Funding boost to tackle health challenges in northern Australia

    Funding boost to tackle health challenges in northern Australia

    Date

    Work will begin to help close critical gaps in healthcare across northern Australia as the result of a $6m grant awarded today to Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies) by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

  34. A global picture of melioidosis

    A global picture of melioidosis

    Date

    The bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei is found in soil and water and causes the disease melioidosis in humans and animals. It was upgraded to a Tier 1 Select Agent by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2012 — the designation given to pathogens considered of highest risk.

  35. Trial results hold hope for scabies prevention

    Trial results hold hope for scabies prevention

    Date

    A NEW trial that reduced scabies outbreaks by 94 per cent in one year could hold the key to its prevention in indigenous communities in the Territory.

  36. AUSTRALIAN RESEARCHERS PLAY VITAL ROLE IN ADDRESSING THE GLOBAL SCABIES CRISIS

    AUSTRALIAN RESEARCHERS PLAY VITAL ROLE IN ADDRESSING THE GLOBAL SCABIES CRISIS

    Date

    In a world-first study, treatment of a whole community with oral ivermectin has been shown to virtually eliminate scabies, providing new hope in the fight to control this debilitating disease.

  37. Menzies melioidosis project recognised among Australia's best

    Menzies melioidosis project recognised among Australia's best

    Date

    A Menzies project has been recognised amongst the nation’s premier research projects by Australia’s peak body for health and medical research.

  38. ABC Catalyst: Melioidosis feature

    ABC Catalyst: Melioidosis feature

    Date

    Life in northern Australia is full of spectacular surprises and natural hazards, some more obvious than others.

  39. National boost for new Indigenous and tropical health research

    National boost for new Indigenous and tropical health research

    Date

    The Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies) has been awarded federal funding for 12 competitive grants and fellowships to help improve outcomes for disadvantaged populations in Australia and the Asia- Pacific region.

  40. The melioidosis files

    The melioidosis files

    Date

    A potentially fatal bacterial disease, lurking in soil.