Dr Bianca Middleton

Senior Research Fellow & Paediatrician

Qualifications:

FRACP, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, General Paediatrics, 2014; PhD, Menzies School of Health Research & Charles Darwin University, 2023; MPH, Menzies School of Health Research & Charles Darwin University, 2011; MBBS (Hons), Monash University, 2003;

Location:

Darwin – Royal Darwin Hospital

Biography:

Dr Bianca Middleton is a paediatrician and Senior Research Fellow in the Global and Tropical Health Division at Menzies School of Health Research. She is a practising paediatrician at Royal Darwin Hospital and the Northern Territory Centre for Disease Control.

Her research focuses on improving child health outcomes in rural and remote northern Australia, with a particular emphasis on immunisation, vaccine-preventable diseases, and pragmatic public health interventions. She has extensive experience in epidemiology, vaccine effectiveness studies, and the design and implementation of innovative Bayesian adaptive clinical trials in remote settings.

Dr Middleton leads major clinical trials evaluating immunisation strategies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and has been awarded competitive funding as Chief Investigator, including NHMRC Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies grants. Her work is grounded in strong partnerships with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services to ensure research findings translate into meaningful improvements in clinical care and policy.
She collaborates nationally with leading research institutions including the Telethon Kids Institute, University of Sydney, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and national communicable disease networks.
Dr Middleton has held significant leadership roles in research governance and clinical advisory groups. She previously served as Co-Deputy Chair of the NT Department of Health and Menzies Human Research Ethics Committee and is the Northern Territory representative for the Adverse Events Following Immunisation – Clinical Assessment Network (AEFI-CAN). She also contributes to national committees and guideline development, including the Remote Primary Health Care Manuals.

She has an established national and international profile, presenting at major conferences and contributing to high-impact peer-reviewed journals. She is actively involved in peer review for leading medical journals and competitive grant schemes.

In addition to her research and clinical work, Dr Middleton is committed to training and mentorship. She supervises research trainees and medical students and provides clinical supervision to paediatric trainees through the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.