Congratulations to Dr Trish Peel on her NHMRC award!

Dr Trisha Peel has received an NHMRC
Research Excellence Award CDF 1

Congratulations to Dr Trisha Peel, one of four Monash researchers who have been honoured with awards from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for Research Excellence.

Dr Peel was Top Ranked Career Development Fellow (CDF) 1 in the Clinical field, for her research on optimising patient outcomes following surgery —bridging the fields of antimicrobial stewardship, microbiology and infection prevention. She is an infectious diseases physician in the  Department of Infectious Diseases at Central Clinical School and Alfred Health.


Surgical wounds are the leading cause of infections associated with healthcare, and they are the costliest. Bacteria found on the patient’s skin are thought to be the main source of infection, making them the target of prevention strategies which rely on the use of antibiotics—a problematic routine as the global population sees a rise in antibiotic resistance.

Dr Peel’s work centres on better understanding the role of the skin’s bacteria in infection development, determining the best preventative options, examining the efficacy of current prevention treatments and determining how to most effectively implement evidence-based measures nationwide.

“Antimicrobial resistance, particularly in patients undergoing surgery, is the biggest health challenge today. There is a genuine concern that the benefits of procedures, such as joint replacement surgery, will be undermined by the impact and consequences of antimicrobial resistance,” said Dr Peel.