Dr Minh Cuong Duong | UNSW Research

Keywords

infectious diseases

infectious disease control

infectious disease epidemiology

Fields of Research (FoR)

Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology, Public Health and Health Services

SEO tags

Infectious Diseases

Evaluation of Health Outcomes

Clinical Health (Organs, Diseases and Abnormal Conditions)

Biography

I have been a Specialist in Infectious Diseases and an epidemiologist in Vietnam after completing the National Postgraduate Specialty Training Program in Infectious Diseases in 2011. I was one of the 12 doctors selected in 2009 by the Vietnam Ministry of Health to be trained in Global influenza prevention and pandemic preparedness project in Hong Kong. I was also deployed in response to the H1N1 influenza pandemic and other infectious disease...view more

I undertook my Masters in Medicine (Infection and Immunity) at the University of Sydney in 2008 under the Endeavour Scholarship. In 2012, I was awarded the Prime Minister’s Australia Asia Incoming Postgraduate Award for a PhD at School of Population Health (SPH) - UNSW. My PhD was titled “The magnitude of hepatitis C and hepatitis B virus infections in chronic haemodialysis patients with end stage renal disease in a low-resource healthcare setting in Vietnam: implications for infection control”. I was awarded the 'PhD Prize for Best Thesis' from SPH. And my thesis was submitted to Vietnam Ministry of Health as requested to enable the infection control policy. I am continuing to expand my PhD research project and conducting other epidemiological/clinical research projects with a focus on prevalent diseases in the low-resource countries such HBV, HCV, and malaria.

My expertise includes epidemiology, research methodology, clinical medicine and prevention and control of infectious diseases. I was a Sessional Lecturer at the Australian Catholic University in 2016. I was also a private tutor for PHCM9498 Epidemiology & Statistics between 2012 and 2017 and has joined SPH in Semester 2 2017 as an Academic. In 2018, I was appointed by the World Health Organization as their consultant on the national response to viral hepatitis in hemodialysis facilities in Vietnam as well as was awarded the "SPH Young Investigator Award". I was awarded the "SPH Early Career Teaching Award" in 2019 and the "STAR Professor A. Noam Chomsky Rising Star Emerging Scholar Achievement Award" in 2023. My current teaching responsibilities include: Convenor PHCM2001 Epidemiology and PHCM9784 Communicable Disease Control in Global Health.

My Grants

2025:

Malaria control and health security capacity building in Indonesia (Southeast Asia), 2025-2026. DFAT, Australian Government, AUD$210,133 (CI)

Enhancing the surveillance of zoonotic malaria in Indonesia. Indonesia Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology of Republic Indonesia’s Fundamental Research Grant, AUD$15,000 (co-investigator)

2022:

Improving health and well-being of frontline healthcare workers and health students involved in the control of COVID-19 in Vietnam. Australian Alumni Grants Fund, Australian Government, AUD$15,750 (CI)

2020:

Improving the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Vietnam. Australian Alumni Grants Fund, Australian Government, AUD$15,500 (CI)

2019:

Fighting anti-malarial drug resistance and malaria-related disability in Vietnam. 2019 Australian Alumni Grants Fund, Australian Government, AUD$10,000 (CI)

2018:

Health security and anti-malarial resistance surveillance strengthening (Vietnam). DFAT, Australian Government, AUD $13,000 (CI)

Examining the burden of occult HBV infection in Vietnam. GSF grant of SPH, UNSW Australia, AUD$5,000 (CI)

My Qualifications

Medical Doctor (University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam)

1^st Degree Specialist in Infectious Diseases (National Residency Program, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam)

Resident Physician of Infectious Disease Degree (National Residency Program, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam)

Master of Medicine (Infection and Immunity, University of Sydney, Australia)

PhD (Epidemiology, UNSW Australia)

My Awards

2024:

SPH Learner Engagement Award

2023:

STAR Professor A. Noam Chomsky Rising Star Emerging Scholar Achievement Award

2019:

SPH Early Career Teaching Award

Annual Scientific Meeting of the Malaysian Society of Gastroenterology & Hepatology (MSGM) Second Prize for The Best Poster Award

2018:

SPH Young Investigator Award

Korean Society of Nephrology (KSN) 2018 Annual Scientific Meeting Travel Award, USD$1,500

2017:

SPH PhD Prize for Best Thesis7

2014:

Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID) - Council Award for Best Poster, 2014

2012:

Prime Minister’s Australia Asia Incoming Postgraduate Award, 2012-2016, Australian Government

2008:

Endeavour Award, Australian Government

My Research Activities

I have been working on two research methodological foci: (1) pragmatic adaption of existing methods in treatment, prevention and control of infectious diseases for low-resource settings; and (2) assessments of methods for translating interventions conducted in controlled settings into feasible, real-world actions. My research focuses on both the community and the disadvantaged and marginalised populations such as chronic haemodialysis populations.

My Research Supervision

Areas of supervision

Minh's area of specialty includes infectious disease epidemiology, and prevention and control of infectious diseases in both healthcare and community settings. I am interested in easy and low-cost methods that can be used to monitor, prevent, and control infectious diseases in low-resource countries. I am also interested in diseases that are prevalent in these countries.

I have led research projects that have provided scientific evidence to improve the prevention and control of viral hepatitis B and C virus infections in chronic hemodialysis patients in the low-resource settings in Vietnam. I was also deployed by the World Health Organization to examine the current infection control and prevention practice of healthcare professionals in hemodialysis settings in Vietnam and to propose strategies to improve this practice. My other research projects aim to enhance the management, prevention and control of viral hepatitis and other infectious diseases in the community.

My Engagement

In the media

'It's like cancelling Christmas': Chinese community to celebrate amid coronavirus fears. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/it-s-like-cancelling-christmas-chinese-community-to-celebrate-amid-coronavirus-fears-20200124-p53ue0.html

Austria and Denmark are planning to lift their coronavirus lockdowns. But experts say easing measures too early might bring the virus back worse than before. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com.au/austria-denmark-lifting-coronavirus-lockdown-experts-warn-flare-up-2020-4?r=US&IR=T

Lessons from Vietnam’s COVID-19 victories. East Asia Forum. https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2020/04/21/lessons-from-vietnams-covid-19-victories/

Managing COVID-19 transmissions in post-lockdown China. East Asia Forum. https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2020/05/19/managing-covid-19-transmissions-in-post-lockdown-china/

Mass masking and Vietnam’s COVID-19 success. East Asia Forum. https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2020/10/23/mass-masking-and-vietnams-covid-19-success/

The impacts of COVID-19 and ways to move forward. East Asia Forum. https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2020/06/09/the-impacts-of-covid-19-on-vietnam-and-ways-to-move-forward/

Membership

2017 – present, Member, Australasian Epidemiological Association (AEA)
2015 – 2019, Member International Society of Nephrology (ISN)
2014 – present, Member, Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID)
2009 – present, Member, Australia Awards Alumni Network

My Teaching

My teaching interests include epidemiology, research methodology, and prevention and control of infectious diseases. My current teaching responsibilities include: Convenor PHCM2001 Epidemiology, Co-convenor PHCM9784 Communicable Disease Control in Global Health.

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