Julie Leask

Julie Leask is an Australian social scientist and professor in the School of Public Health and Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute at the University of Sydney, Australia. She is a leading researcher on social and behavioural aspects of vaccination and infectious disease prevention. Leask's research focuses on vaccine uptake, communication, trust, strengthening vaccination programs and policy. Additionally, Leask is an advisor to the World Health Organization (WHO) on vaccine acceptance and demand issues and was the chair of the WHO Measuring Behavioural and Social Drivers of Vaccination working group (2018–2022).

Education Leask holds a Diploma in Health Science (Nursing) from the University of Technology Sydney (1990), a Certificate of Midwifery Theory and Practice from the Northern Sydney Area Midwifery School (1992), a Master of Public Health from the University of Sydney (1998) and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) also from the University of Sydney (2002). Her Ph.D. thesis was titled Understanding Immunisation Controversies.

Professional academic life Leask's Masters treatise in 1997 described the major themes in anti-vaccination reporting in the Australian print media. In 2012, she was appointed as an NHMRC Career Development Fellow at the School of Public Health, University of Sydney. In 2017, she moved to the Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, becoming Professor in 2018. She is Visiting Professorial Fellow at the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance. She currently co-leads the Social and Behavioural Insights in Immunisation research group at the University of Sydney – a team of postdoctoral researchers, research assistants, and higher degree research students.

Leask led the development of Sharing Knowledge About Immunisation (SKAI) - a vaccination communication package designed to improve vaccination conversations between parents and healthcare workers. SKAI provides communication strategies, tailored resources, a website, and a training module. SKAI was implemented nationally in Australia through the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance. Her chairing role with WHO focused on quality measures of the reasons for the under-vaccination of children and COVID-19 vaccination in adults and healthcare workers. These surveys and interview guides measure the Behavioural and Social Drivers of Vaccination (BeSD) within the domains of (1) Thinking and feeling about vaccines; (2) Social processes that drive or inhibit vaccination; (3) Motivation (or hesitancy) to seek vaccination; and (4) Practical issues involved in seeking and receiving a vaccination. These tools are now being used in multiple countries to determine barriers to routine immunisation. Select publications include the following:

Robinson P, Degeling C, Wiley K, Carter S, Leask J. Evidence gaps and challenges in maintaining and increasing vaccine uptake: A Delphi survey with Australian stakeholders. Health Promot J Austral. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpja.875. Leask, J., Seale, H., Williams, J.H., Kaufman, J., Wiley, K., Mahimbo, A., Clark, K.K., Danchin, M.H. and Attwell, K. (2021), Policy considerations for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination from the Collaboration on Social Science and Immunisation. Med J Aust, 215: 499-503. https://doi.org/10.5694/mja2.51269. Carlson, S.J., Blyth, C.C., Beard, F.H., Hendry, A.J., Cheng, A.C., Quinn, H.E., Leask, J. and Macartney, K. (2021), Influenza disease and vaccination in children in Australia. Med J Aust, 215: 64-67.e1. https://doi.org/10.5694/mja2.51100.

Awards and honours Appointed Officer of the Order of Australia in the 2024 Australia Day Honours for "distinguished service to health and medical research, to policy advice, and to enhancing community understanding of immunisation" Rosemary Bryant Award, Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association, July, 2023 President's Award, Public Health Association of Australia – group award for the Collaboration on Social Science and Immunisation, 2022 Vice-chancellor's Award for Excellence -Outstanding Research Engagement and Innovation, for Sharing Knowledge About Immunisation, 2019 http://www.talkingaboutimmunisation.org.au/ National Health and Medical Research Council Career Development Fellowship, 2013-2017 Teaching Award: Excellence in Postgraduate Supervision. Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Sydney, 2011