Australia’s trusted immunisation experts
07 April 2026 | NewsWhy are more Australian parents taking childhood influenza vaccination off the priority list?Read the full article
Kasia Bolsewicz is a senior adjunct lecturer at the University of Sydney. She co-leads the NCIRS Social Science Unit, working closely with healthcare providers, communities, immunisation coordinators and policymakers to better understand drivers of vaccine uptake and propose strategies to address barriers. Kasia has expertise in social behavioural sciences, the social science of immunisation, evaluation, and qualitative research methods. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she led studies with residential aged care facilities across NSW to explore the pandemic’s impacts on residents, families and the aged care workforce. Prior to joining NCIRS, she worked with NSW local health districts to identify areas of low childhood vaccine coverage and improve understanding of factors that influence childhood immunisation using the World Health Organization’s Tailoring Immunization Programmes approach.
Maryke Steffens co-leads the NCIRS Social Science Unit and works closely with social science colleagues at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Social and Behavioural Insights in Immunisation (SABII) to implement the National Vaccination Insights project. She has led a range of projects related to immunisation, including qualitative research to evaluate school vaccination programs. Maryke is affiliated with the University of Sydney and is a steering committee member of Collaboration on Social Science of Immunisation (COSSI). She completed her PhD with Macquarie University’s Australian Institute of Health Innovation in 2021. Maryke has a background in science and health communications, and previously worked as a health and science reporter for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Kathleen Prokopovich leads and manages a range of NCIRS Social Science Unit research projects and collaborations, including Sharing Knowledge About Immunisation (SKAI) webpage content development, the Consumer Advisory Group, and the Consumer Researcher Program. She also provides secretariat support for COSSI. Kathleen was previously a research assistant at the Australian Centre for Health Engagement, Evidence and Values (University of Wollongong) and supported a range of projects using deliberative democratic and dialogue methods. She has a special interest in exploring how trust influences immunisation-related beliefs and attitudes and is passionate about addressing barriers to health equity.
Bianca Bullivant supports the NCIRS Social Science Unit's research projects and collaborations, including SKAI and COSSI. In this work, she contributes to the development and organisation of communication resources and research materials. Bianca was previously a research assistant at Macquarie University where she worked on a qualitative project on eating disorders and obesity health literacy. Bianca’s work is grounded in a strong interest in the attitudes and beliefs of parents and healthcare professionals around immunisation.
Laila Wasid joined NCIRS in 2025. She supports the NCIRS Social Science Unit's research projects and collaborations, including SKAI, the National Vaccination Insights project, and COSSI. In this work, she assists with the development and distribution of communication resources and research outputs. Laila is interested in qualitative and quantitative research methods and understanding consumer perspectives on immunisation.
