Personal profile
Research interests
Professor Amanda Leach AM is leader of the Ear Health Research Program, Child Health Division.
Prof Leach has 157 career publications; her 1994 PhD publication (cited by 408) described for the first time that Indigenous infants acquire nasopharyngeal bacterial pathogens within weeks of life and that acquisition predicted onset of otitis media (OM).
Prof Leach led the 6-year NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Ear and Hearing Health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to 2021. Prof Leach led the update of the 2010 OM Guidelines including an OM app using the highest quality international GRADE approach, also endorsed as a Guideline by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. She was NHMRC lead investigator for two vaccine trials (PREVIX_COMBO and PREVIX_BOOST), a study of school readiness (VOICES), and is co-investigator of a CSOM treatment trial (IHEARBETA), two trials for treatment of OM in urban Aboriginal children (WATCH and INFLATE), two new trials of Aboriginal Health Practitioner ear support for Aboriginal children in hospital (Deadly Ears in Deadly Hands), and a trial of Azithromycin before Birth.
Prof Leach is Joint Chair with Professor Kelvin Kong, for the 5-year Hearing for Learning Initiative – a funding partnership between The Balnaves Foundation, the Northern Territory Government, and the Australian Government. The goal of this stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial of accredited and skills training and employment in 20 communities is to establish local, sustainable, clinical and education expertise to support elimination of social and educational disadvantage caused by ear disease and hearing loss.
In 2011 she won a 6-year NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship which was awarded the inaugural Elizabeth Blackburn Fellowship for top ranking female applicant in the clinical category.
In 2019 Prof Leach won the Telstra NT Business Woman of the Year, and in 2020, Prof Leach was made a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia for significant service to ear disease research, and to Indigenous child health
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 2 Zero Hunger -
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 4 Quality Education -
SDG 5 Gender Equality -
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth -
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities -
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 25 Finished
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Analysis of AAAOM clinical trial and MARS surveillance data
Leach, A. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A), Morris, P. (Co Investigator/Chief Investigator B) & Wong, J. (Project Manager)
1/10/12 → 1/10/13
Project: Research
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A randomised trial to assess the impact of a price reduction with and without an in-store nutrition education strategy on purchasing of fruit and vegetables and low joule drinks and water in remote Northern Territory Aboriginal communities
Brimblecombe, J. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A), Leach, A. (Co Investigator/Chief Investigator B), Ball, K. (Chief Investigator C), Bailie, R. S. (Chief Investigator D), Burns, C. (Chief Investigator E), Ni Mhurchu, C. (Chief Investigator E), Moodie, M. (Chief Investigator G), Miles, E. (Chief Investigator H) & Gunther, A. (Project Manager)
1/01/12 → 30/06/16
Project: Research
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Centre for Research Excellence in Lung Health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children
Chang, A. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A), Brown, N. (Co Investigator/Chief Investigator B), Byrnes, C. (Associate Investigator), Crengle, S. (Associate Investigator), Currie, B. (Associate Investigator), Ellis, K. (Associate Investigator), Hoffman, L. (Associate Investigator), LEE, B. (Associate Investigator), PATERSON, B. A. (Associate Investigator), SINGLETON, R. (Associate Investigator), Smith-Vaughan, H. (Associate Investigator), Yerkovich, S. (Associate Investigator), MULHOLLAND, E. (Chief Investigator C), O'Grady, K.-A. (Chief Investigator D), Grimwood, K. (Chief Investigator E), Morris, P. (Chief Investigator F), Leach, A. (Chief Investigator G), Upham, J. (Chief Investigator H), Torzillo, P. (Chief Investigator I), D'Antoine, H. (Chief Investigator J) & Wong, J. (Project Manager)
1/11/12 → 31/10/17
Project: Research
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Centre of Research Excellence in Indigenous Children's Healthy EARs (ICHEAR)
Leach, A. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A), Cheng, A. (Associate Investigator), D'Antoine, H. (Associate Investigator), Jeffries-Stokes, C. (Associate Investigator), Kong, K. (Co Investigator/Chief Investigator B), Marsh, R. (Associate Investigator), Nelson, S. (Associate Investigator), Pearson, G. (Associate Investigator), Reath, J. (Associate Investigator), Silburn, S. (Associate Investigator), Smith-Vaughan, H. (Associate Investigator), Thornton, R. B. (Associate Investigator), Morris, P. (Chief Investigator C), Richmond, P. C. (Chief Investigator D), Gunasekera, H. (Chief Investigator E), Brown, N. (Chief Investigator F), Lehmann, D. (Chief Investigator G), Torzillo, P. (Chief Investigator H), MULHOLLAND, E. (Chief Investigator I) & Chang, A. (Chief Investigator J)
1/12/14 → 30/11/19
Project: Research
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Community based surveillance of bacterial respiratory pathogens in the NT & WA
Leach, A. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A), Smith-Vaughan, H. (Co Investigator/Chief Investigator B), Andrews, R. (Chief Investigator C), Riley, T. (Chief Investigator D) & O'Grady, K.-A. (Chief Investigator E)
1/01/09 → 31/12/12
Project: Research
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Community-based surveillance of important bacterial respiratory pathogens in the Northern Territory of Australia
Leach, A. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A), Smith-Vaughan, H. (Co Investigator/Chief Investigator B), Andrews, R. (Chief Investigator C), Riley, T. (Chief Investigator D) & O'Grady, K.-A. (Chief Investigator E)
1/11/11 → 30/09/12
Project: Research
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Contract for services in relation to the evaluation of Sunrise Health Service Aural Health Program
Leach, A. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A) & Roberts, J. (Project Manager)
10/12/11 → 30/04/12
Project: Research
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A workforce enhancement model for Australian remote community Primary Health Care services: implementation of a stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial (SW-CRT)
Leach, A. J., McCullough, A., Websdale, E., Su, J. Y., Oguoma, V. M., Morris, P. S., Taylor, S., Nelson, S., Kong, K., Paterson, J., Dixon, J. & Cass, A., Jan 2026, In: BMC Health Services Research. 26, 1, p. 1-15 15 p., 289.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Artificial Intelligence-driven Advancements in Otitis Media Diagnosis: A Systematic Review
Rony, M. A. H., Fatema, K., Raiaan, M. A. K., Hassan, M. M., Azam, S., Karim, A., Jonkman, M., Beissbarth, J., Boer, F. D., Islam, S. M. S. & Leach, A., 26 Jul 2024, In: IEEE Access. 12, p. 99282-99307 26 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile12 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)558 Downloads (Pure) -
Chronic suppurative otitis media
Bhutta, M. F., Leach, A. J. & Brennan-Jones, C. G., 25 May 2024, In: The Lancet. 403, 10441, p. 2339-2348 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
46 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
Complete genome sequence of Oligella urethralis MSHR-50412PR, isolated from an ear discharge swab of a child with chronic suppurative otitis media
Mandal, P. K., Cleanthous, A., Rigas, V., Kleinecke, M., Lawrence, K., Leach, A. J., Smith-Vaughan, H., Morris, P. S., Beissbarth, J. & Marsh, R. L., Feb 2024, In: Microbiology Resource Announcements. 13, 2, p. 1-4 4 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile54 Downloads (Pure) -
Hearing loss in Australian First Nations children at 6-monthly assessments from age 12 to 36 months: Secondary outcomes from randomised controlled trials of novel pneumococcal conjugate vaccine schedules
Leach, A. J., Wilson, N., Arrowsmith, B., Beissbarth, J., Mulholland, K., Santosham, M., Torzillo, P. J., McIntyre, P., Smith-Vaugha, H., Skull, S. A., Oguoma, V. M., Chatfield, M. D., Lehmann, D., Brennan-Jones, C. G., Binks, M. J., Licciardi, P. V., Andrews, R. M., Snelling, T., Krause, V. & Carapetis, J. & 2 others, , Jun 2024, In: PLoS Medicine. 21, 6, p. 1-15 15 p., e1004375.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile5 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)28 Downloads (Pure) -
ISOM 2023 Research Panel 5: Interventions - Vaccines and prevention, medical and surgical treatment, and impact of COVID-19 pandemic
Pelton, S., Hullegie, S., Leach, A. J., Marchisio, P., Marom, T., Sabharwal, V., Shaikh, N., Tähtinen, P. & Venekamp, R., Jan 2024, In: International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. 176, p. 1-27 27 p., 111782.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open Access2 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
Reimagining otitis media diagnosis: A fusion of nested U-Net segmentation with graph theory-inspired feature set
Azam, S., Hossain Rony, M. A., Raiaan, M. A. K., Fatema, K., Karim, A., Jonkman, M., Beissbarth, J., Leach, A. & De Boer, F., Sept 2024, In: Array. 23, p. 1-25 25 p., 100362.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Link opens in a new tab Citation (Scopus)42 Downloads (Pure)
Datasets
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PREVIX_COMBO Primary outcomes
Leach, A. (Creator), Menzies School of Health Research, 2024
DOI: 10.25913/abnr-kn72, https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?ACTRN=ACTRN12610000544077
Dataset
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PREVIX_BOOST Primary outcomes
Leach, A. (Creator), Menzies School of Health Research, 2024
DOI: 10.25913/s2y4-7f79, https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=3694&isClinicalTrial=True
Dataset