Dr Harriet Lawford
Research Fellow
UQ Centre for Clinical Research
Researcher biography
Dr Harriet Lawford is an experienced infectious diseases field epidemiologist specialising in malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases. She currently serves as a Research Fellow in the Operational Research and Decision Support for Infectious Diseases (ODeSI) team where she leads efforts to eliminate lymphatic filariasis — a rare but debilitating infectious diseases — in the Pacific Islands.
With extensive global health experience in sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia, Dr Lawford has played a pivotal role in informing strategies for tropical disease control. Her work includes initiatives such as neurodevelopmental assessment in newborns exposed to malaria in pregnancy and interventions to reduce global stillbirth rates.
Dr Lawford holds a PhD in Epidemiology from UQ and a Master's in the Control of Infectious Disease Control from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Her research is widely cited, reflecting her significant contributions to the field. She is committed to mentoring the next generation of global health epidemiologists and researchers.
Journal Articles
de Graaff, Esti Charlotte, Leisher, Susannah Hopkins, Blencowe, Hannah, Lawford, Harriet, Cassidy, Jillian, Cassidy, Paul Richard, Draper, Elizabeth S., Heazell, Alexander E. P., Kinney, Mary, Quigley, Paula, Ravaldi, Claudia, Storey, Claire, Vannacci, Alfredo, Corcoran, Paul, Cronin, Robin, Erwich, Jan Jaap, Gissler, Mika, Gordijn, Sanne, de Jesús, Guilherme Ramires, Klimont, Jeannette, Lecomte, Aline, Loghi, Marzia, Murphy, Margaret, Rodin, Urelija, Weber, Guy, Wimmer, Lindsey and Flenady, Vicki (2023). Ending preventable stillbirths and improving bereavement care: a scorecard for high- and upper-middle income countries. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 23 (1) 480, 480. doi: 10.1186/s12884-023-05765-5
Lawn, Joy E, Ohuma, Eric O, Bradley, Ellen, Okwaraji, Yemisrach B, Yargawa, Judith, Blencowe, Hannah, Idueta, Lorena Suárez, Hazel, Elizabeth, Erchick, Daniel J, Katz, Joanne, Diaz, Mike, Black, Robert E, Lee, Anne C C, Salasibew, Mihretab, Requejo, Jennifer, Hayashi, Chika, Moller, Ann-Beth, Borghi, Elaine, Ashorn, Per, Black, Robert E, Lawn, Joy E, Ashorn, Ulla, Klein, Nigel, Hofmeyr, G Justus, Temmerman, Marleen, Askari, Sufia, Ohuma, Eric O, Moller, Ann-Beth, Bradley, Ellen ... Prendergast, Andrew (2023). Small babies, big risks: global estimates of prevalence and mortality for vulnerable newborns to accelerate change and improve counting. The Lancet, 401 (10389), 1707-1719. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00522-6
Suárez‐Idueta, Lorena, Blencowe, Hannah, Okwaraji, Yemisrach B., Yargawa, Judith, Bradley, Ellen, Gordon, Adrienne, Flenady, Vicki, Paixao, Enny S., Barreto, Mauricio L., Lisonkova, Sarka, Wen, Qi, Velebil, Petr, Jírová, Jitka, Horváth‐Puhó, Erzsebet, Sørensen, Henrik Toft, Sakkeus, Luule, Abuladze, Liili, Yunis, Khalid A., Al Bizri, Ayah, Barranco, Arturo, Broeders, Lisa, van Dijk, Aimée E., Alyafei, Fawziya, Olukade, Tawa O., Razaz, Neda, Söderling, Jonas, Smith, Lucy K., Draper, Elizabeth S., Lowry, Estelle ... the National Vulnerable Newborn Mortality Collaborative Group and Vulnerable Newborn Measurement Core Group (2023). Neonatal mortality risk for vulnerable newborn types in 15 countries using 125.5 million nationwide birth outcome records, 2000–2020. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.17506
Skalecki, Sarah, Lawford, Harriet, Gardener, Glenn, Coory, Michael, Bradford, Billie, Warrilow, Kara, Wojcieszek, Aleena M., Newth, Tionie, Weller, Megan, Said, Joanne M., Boyle, Fran M., East, Christine, Gordon, Adrienne, Middleton, Philippa, Ellwood, David and Flenady, Vicki (2023). My Baby's Movements: an assessment of the effectiveness of the My Baby's Movements phone program in reducing late‐gestation stillbirth rates. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 63 (3), 378-383. doi: 10.1111/ajo.13647
Suárez-Idueta, Lorena, Yargawa, Judith, Blencowe, Hannah, Bradley, Ellen, Okwaraji, Yemisrach B., Pingray, Veronica, Gibbons, Luz, Gordon, Adrienne, Warrilow, Kara, Paixao, Enny S., Falcão, Ila Rocha, Lisonkova, Sarka, Wen, Qi, Mardones, Francisco, Caulier-Cisterna, Raúl, Velebil, Petr, Jírová, Jitka, Horváth-Puhó, Erzsebet, Sørensen, Henrik Toft, Sakkeus, Luule, Abuladze, Lili, Gissler, Mika, Heidarzadeh, Mohammad, Moradi-Lakeh, Maziar, Yunis, Khalid A., Al Bizri, Ayah, Karalasingam, Shamala D., Jeganathan, Ravichandran, Barranco, Arturo ... Lee, Anne C. C. (2023). Vulnerable newborn types: Analysis of population-based registries for 165 million births in 23 countries, 2000–2021. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.17505
North, Krysten, Whelan, Rachel, Folger, Lian V., Lawford, Harriet, Olson, Ingrid, Driker, Sophie, Bass, Michelle B., Edmond, Karen and Lee, Anne C. C. (2022). Family involvement in the routine care of hospitalized preterm or low birth weight infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Pediatrics, 150 (Supplement 1) e2022057092O. doi: 10.1542/peds.2022-057092O
Lawford, Harriet L.S., Sazon, Hannah, Richard, Celine, Robb, Michael P. and Bora, Samudragupta (2022). Acoustic cry characteristics of infants as a marker of neurological dysfunction: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Pediatric Neurology, 129, 72-79. doi: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2021.10.017
Flenady, V., Gardener, G., Ellwood, D., Coory, M., Weller, M., Warrilow, K. A., Middleton, P. F., Wojcieszek, A. M., Groom, K. M., Boyle, F. M., East, C., Lawford, H. L.S., Callander, E., Said, J. M., Walker, S. P., Mahomed, K., Andrews, C., Gordon, A., Norman, J. E. and Crowther, C. (2022). My baby's movements: a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised controlled trial of a fetal movement awareness intervention to reduce stillbirths. Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey, 77 (3), 137-139. doi: 10.1097/OGX.0000000000001018
Flenady, V., Gardener, G., Ellwood, D., Coory, M., Weller, M., Warrilow, K.A., Middleton, P.F., Wojcieszek, A.M., Groom, K.M., Boyle, F.M., East, C., Lawford, H.L.S., Callandar, E., Said, J.M., Walker, S.P., Mahomed, K., Andrews, C., Gordon, A., Norman, J.E. and Crowther, C. (2022). My Baby’s Movements: a stepped‐wedge cluster‐randomised controlled trial of a fetal movement awareness intervention to reduce stillbirths. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 129 (1), 29-41. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.16944
Lawford, Harriet L. S., Nuamah, Mercy A., Liley, Helen G., Griffin, Alison, Lekpor, Cecilia E., Botchway, Felix, Oppong, Samuel A., Samba, Ali, Badoe, Ebenezer V., Kumar, Sailesh, Lee, Anne C. C., Gyasi, Richard K., Adjei, Andrew A. and Bora, Samudragupta (2021). Associations between malaria in pregnancy and neonatal neurological outcomes. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 112, 144-151. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.07.037
Flenady, Vicki, Kettle, Imogen, Laporte, Johanna, Birthisel, Deborah, Hardiman, Leah, Matsika, Admire, Whelan, Nikki, Lehner, Christoph, Payton, Diane, Utz, Miles, Wojcieszek, Aleena M., Lawford, Harriet, Walsh, Teresa and Ellwood, David (2021). Making every birth count: Outcomes of a perinatal mortality audit program. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 61 (4), 540-547. doi: 10.1111/ajo.13325
Lawford, Harriet L.S., Nuamah, Mercy A., Liley, Helen G., Lee, Anne CC, Botchway, Felix, Kumar, Sailesh, Adjei, Andrew A. and Bora, Samudragupta (2021). Gestational age-specific distribution of the Hammersmith Neonatal Neurological Examination scores among low-risk neonates in Ghana. Early Human Development, 152 105133, 105133. doi: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2020.105133
Lawford, Harriet L.S., Nuamah, Mercy A., Liley, Helen G., Lee, Anne C. C., Kumar, Sailesh, Adjei, Andrew A., Bora, Samudragupta and IMPRINT Study Group (2020). Neonatal neurological examination in a resource-limited setting: what defines normal?. European Journal of Paediatric Neurology, 29, 71-80. doi: 10.1016/j.ejpn.2020.08.010
Lawford, Harriet L.S., Lee, Anne C. C., Kumar, Sailesh, Liley, Helen G. and Bora, Samudragupta (2019). Establishing a conceptual framework of the impact of placental malaria on infant neurodevelopment. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 84, 54-65. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2019.04.019
Liverani, Marco, Charlwood, Jacques Derek, Lawford, Harriet and Yeung, Shunmay (2017). Field assessment of a novel spatial repellent for malaria control: a feasibility and acceptability study in Mondulkiri, Cambodia. Malaria Journal, 16 (1) 412. doi: 10.1186/s12936-017-2059-6
Canavati, Sara E., Quintero, Cesia E., Lawford, Harriet L. S., Yok, Sovann, Lek, Dysoley, Richards, Jack S. and Whittaker, Maxine Anne (2016). High mobility, low access thwarts interventions among seasonal workers in the Greater Mekong Sub-region: lessons from the malaria containment project. Malaria Journal, 15 (1) 434. doi: 10.1186/s12936-016-1491-3
Kilian, Albert, Lawford, Harriet, Ujuju, Chinazo N., Abeku, Tarekegn A., Nwokolo, Ernest, Okoh, Festus and Baba, Ebenezer (2016). The impact of behaviour change communication on the use of insecticide treated nets: a secondary analysis of ten post-campaign surveys from Nigeria. Malaria Journal, 15 (1) 422. doi: 10.1186/s12936-016-1463-7
Canavati, Sara E., Lawford, Harriet L. S., Fatunmbi, Bayo S., Lek, Dysoley, Top-Samphor, Narann, Leang, Rithea, Dondorp, Arjen M., Huy, Rekol and Kazadi, Walter M. (2016). Establishing research priorities for malaria elimination in the context of the emergency response to artemisinin resistance framework-the Cambodian approach. Malaria Journal, 15 (1) 120. doi: 10.1186/s12936-016-1117-9
Canavati, Sara E., Lawford, Harriet L. S., Fatunmbi, Bayo S., Lek, Dysoley, Leang, Rithea, Top Samphor, Narann, Dondorp, Arjen M., Huy, Rekol and Kazadi, Walter M. (2016). The Cambodia Research Consortium: expediting research for malaria elimination with the emergency response to artemisinin resistance framework. Malaria Journal, 15 (1) 5. doi: 10.1186/s12936-015-1062-z
Yeung, Shunmay, Rada, Ouk, Boravann, Mam, Swamidoss, Isabel, Tabernero, Patricia, Lawford, Harriet L. S., Green, Michael D., Fernandez, Facundo M., Nguon, Chea, van Wyk, Albert, DeSousa, Mikhael, Hostetler, Dana M., Kaur, Harparkash, Malik, Naiela and Dwivedi, Prabha (2015). Quality of antimalarials at the epicenter of antimalarial drug resistance: results from an overt and mystery client survey in Cambodia. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 92 (6_Suppl), 39-50. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.14-0391
Lawford, Harriet, Zurovac, Dejan, O'Reilly, Laura, Hoibak, Sarah, Cowley, Alice, Munga, Stephen, Vulule, John, Juma, Elizabeth, Snow, Robert W and Allan, Richard (2011). Adherence to prescribed artemisinin-based combination therapy in Garissa and Bunyala districts, Kenya. Malaria Journal, 10 (1) 281, 281. doi: 10.1186/1475-2875-10-281
Research Report
Ward, Selina, Lawford, Harriet, Sartorius, Benn and Lau, Colleen (2024). Integrated serosurveillance of infectious diseases using multiplex bead assays: A systematic review. Middletown, DE United States: INPLASY: International Platform of Registered Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols. doi: 10.37766/inplasy2024.4.0094
Thesis
Lawford, Harriet (2021). IMPRINT: the impact of malaria in pregnancy on infant neurodevelopment. PhD Thesis, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/bbd718a