Dr Marion Kainer

Dr Kainer is an infectious diseases physician and healthcare epidemiologist. She trained as an epidemic intelligence service officer or “disease detective” at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] in the hospital infections program. She subsequently joined the Tennessee Department of Health where she was the director of the Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance Program.

Dr Kainer led the 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak investigation at the Tennessee Department of Health and was named Tennessean of the Year. She was honored by the Obama White House as a Champion of Change for Prevention and Public Health in 2013. She returned to Melbourne in 2019 and is the head of Infectious Diseases at Western Health. Since January 2020 she has also taken a leadership role in the preparation for and response to COVID-19. She provides oversight as the medical lead for both COVID response and COVID Vaccination.