Rate My Professor Susan Donath

Associate Professor Susan Donath is a senior biostatistician and epidemiologist affiliated with the University of Melbourne's Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. She holds the position of Honorary Principal Fellow in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health and serves as Principal Research Fellow and Deputy Director of the Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit (CEBU) in the Department of Paediatrics. She is also Honorary Fellow Manager in the Population Health group at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. Her academic background includes a BSc, MA, and GradDipCompSci. Since 2003, she has been a senior consultant statistician jointly employed by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and the University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics. Previously, she was Senior Research Fellow at Turning Point Alcohol & Drug Centre from 2000 to 2003, focusing on alcohol epidemiological research, and Lecturer at the Key Centre for Women’s Health, University of Melbourne, from 1995 to 2000, where she designed and delivered postgraduate courses in quantitative research methods in Australia, Vietnam, and China, provided research support, and supervised Masters students.

Donath's research specializations encompass the design and analysis of quantitative health-related research studies, perinatal epidemiology, and clinical trials, particularly in paediatrics and neonatology. She is an author on more than 200 publications in refereed journals, with over 70 published in the last five years, garnering approximately 16,000 citations. Key publications include 'Baselinetable: A Command for Creating one- and Two-way Tables of Summary Statistics' (2018), 'Neonatal BCG vaccination to prevent respiratory infections in the first 5 years of life: results from the MIS BAIR randomised controlled trial' (2025), 'Neonatal Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Vaccination Decreases Eczema Incidence at 5 years: The MIS BAIR Randomised Controlled Trial' (2025), 'The SHINE Trial Statistical Analysis Plan' (2026), and 'Intratracheal budesonide mixed with surfactant... PLUSS trial statistical analysis plan' (2026). She has contributed to major trials such as PLUSS (preventing bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants), HIPSTER (optimising early respiratory support), MIS BAIR (BCG vaccination effects on allergy and infections), and SHINE (stabilisation during neonatal intubation). Her statistical expertise supports advancements in neonatal interventions, vaccine impacts, and paediatric reference intervals, influencing clinical practices through robust evidence from randomised controlled trials.