Personal profile
Research interests
Tessa is a senior laboratory technical advisor and medical scientist with a history of work in Cambodia and Timor-Leste in laboratory capacity-building and mentoring. She has over 10 years’ experience in diagnostic microbiology and training as well as a strong interest in diagnostic laboratory facilities and LIMS implementation in resource-limited countries.
Tessa has collaborated with Menzies through research projects such as MATCH-TL which aims to strengthen diagnosis and surveillance of infectious diseases in Timor-Leste. The MATCH-TL project is currently working closely alongside the Timor-Leste Ministry of Health to improve access to, and quality of, laboratory diagnostic testing for Malaria, TB, COVID-19, and HIV.
She is currently working with the Fleming Fund Country Grant in Timor-Leste on capacity-building of the National Health Laboratory in Dili for surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
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 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure -
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities -
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production -
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions -
SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 1 Active
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Laboratory strengthening for diagnostic microbiology and AMR surveillance in Timor-Leste as a model for other LMIC
Smith-Vaughan, H. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A) & Oakley, T. M. (Student Investigator)
1/03/21 → …
Project: HDR Project › PhD
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Cross-sectional survey of resistant priority pathogen carriage in the hospital setting in Timor-Leste 2020–2021
Lynar, S. A., Vieira, A., Draper, A. D. K., Amaral, E., Spargo, J., Oakley, T., Dingle, B., Ximenes, G., da Conceição, V., Freitas, D., Fernandes, A., da Costa Maia, C., Soares, M., Belo, J., Toto, L., Soares da Silva, E., Champlin, K., Marr, I., Francis, J. R. & Yan, J., Mar 2026, In: Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control. 15, 1, p. 1-10 10 p., 41.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Downloads (Pure) -
Epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus infections in Timor-Leste, January-July 2020
da Conceição, V. D. L., Sarmento, N. D. C., Matoso, E., Soares, N., Oakley, T., Marr, I., Alves, L., Yan, J., Francis, J. & Wozniak, T., Apr 2026, In: Communicable diseases intelligence (2018). 50, p. 1-11 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
A population-representative serosurvey estimating vaccine-induced immunity against measles, rubella, hepatitis B and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in Timor-Leste
Arkell, P., Tanesi, M. Y., Martins, N., Gomes, N., Oakley, T., Solano, V., David, M., Amaral, S., Sheridan, S. L., Yip, T. W., Draper, A. D. K., Sarmento, N., Soares da Silva, E., Alves, L., Nicholson, S., Stambos, V., Pedrina, K., Freitas, C., de Neri Machado, F. & Gusmão, C. A. & 5 others, , Mar 2025, In: The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia. 34, p. 1-19 19 p., 100525.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Link opens in a new tab Citation (Scopus)26 Downloads (Pure) -
Cost-effectiveness of maintaining an active hospital microbiology laboratory service in Timor-Leste
Lim, C., Maung Swe, M. M., Devine, A., Oakley, T., Champlin, K., Sone OO, P., Sarmento, N., Da Costa Barreto, I., Givney, R. C., Yan, J., Francis, J. R. & Cooper, B. S., May 2025, In: The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia. 36, p. 1-11 11 p., 100582.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Link opens in a new tab Citation (Scopus)29 Downloads (Pure) -
Implementation of a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) for microbiology in Timor-Leste: challenges, mitigation strategies, and end-user experiences
Oakley, T., Vaz, J., da Silva, F., Allan, R., Almeida, D., Champlin, K., da Silva, E. S., Tilman, A. J., Marr, I., Smith-Vaughan, H., Yan, J. & Francis, J. R., Dec 2025, In: BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making. 25, 1, p. 32 1 p., 32.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile3 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)63 Downloads (Pure) -
Laboratory diagnosis of melioidosis
Gassiep, I., Chewapreecha, C., Chantratita, N., Oakley, T., Mukhopadhyay, C., Lal, P. B., AuCoin, D., Chowdhury, F. R., Meumann, E. M., Currie, B. J., Dance, D. A. B., Wuthiekanun, V. & Norton, R., Dec 2025, In: PLoS Negl. Trop. Dis.. 19, 12, p. 1-24 24 p., e0013761.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
A pilot study investigating severe community-acquired febrile illness through implementation of an innovative microbiological and nucleic acid amplification testing strategy in Timor-Leste (ISIN-MANAS-TL)
Ximenes, D., de Jesus, G., de Sousa, A. S., Soares, C., Amaral, L. C., Oakley, T., Alves, L., Amaral, S., Sarmento, N., Guterres, H., Cabral, J. A. D. D., Boavida, F., Yan, J., Francis, J. R., Martins, N. & Arkell, P., Jun 2024, In: IJID Regions. 11, p. 1-8 8 p., 100345.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Link opens in a new tab Citation (Scopus)46 Downloads (Pure)