Dr Rob Commons
Principal Research Fellow
Qualifications:
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Charles Darwin University, 2019; Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP), Royal Australasian College of Physicians, 2013; Masters of Public Health and Tropical Medicine (MPH&TM), James Cook University, 2015; Diploma of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2008; Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, University of Melbourne, 2006; Bachelor of Medical Science, University of Melbourne, 2006
Approved level of HDR supervision at Charles Darwin University:
Associate Supervisor for PhD
Location:
Biography:
Rob Commons is an infectious diseases and general medicine physician who completed his undergraduate medical degree at The University of Melbourne in 2006 in combination with a Bachelor of Medical Science. He completed his physician training in 2013 while concurrently undertaking a Masters of Public Health and Tropical Medicine through James Cook University.
His PhD, which he completed in 2019, investigated primaquine as a radical cure for Plasmodium vivax malaria through the Tropical Medicine Division of Menzies.
He continues to research ways to improve vivax radical cure, including undertaking large pooled individual patient data meta-analyses through an extended collaboration with the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN).
His research program has a substantial focus on data synthesis, including undertaking systematic reviews, individual patient data meta-analyses and translation of findings into guidelines.
Research Themes
- Advancing the radical cure of Plasmodium vivax malaria through optimal antimalarial regimens
- Primaquine radical cure of Plasmodium vivax malaria: a risk-benefit analysis
- Commons RJ, et al, Effect of primaquine dose on the risk of recurrence in patients with uncomplicated Plasmodium vivax: a systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis, Lancet Infectious Diseases 2024, 24(2):172-183
- Rajasekhar M,… Commons RJ, Primaquine dose and the risk of haemolysis in patients with uncomplicated Plasmodium vivax malaria: a systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis, Lancet Infectious Diseases 2024, 24(2):184-195
- Watson JA*, Commons RJ*, et al, The clinical pharmacology of tafenoquine in the radical cure of Plasmodium vivax malaria: An individual patient data meta-analysis, eLife 2022, 11: e83433.
- Hossain MS*, Commons RJ*, et al, The risk of Plasmodium vivax parasitaemia after P. falciparum malaria: An individual patient data meta-analysis from the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network, PLoS Med, 2020; 17(11):e1003393.
- Commons RJ, Simpson JA, Watson J, White NJ, Price RN, Estimating the proportion of Plasmodium vivax recurrences caused by relapse: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Am J Trop Med Hyg, 2020, 103(3):1094-1099.
- Commons RJ, McCarthy JS, Price RN, Tafenoquine for the radical cure and prevention of malaria: the importance of testing for G6PD deficiency, Med J Aust, 2019; 212(4):152-153.e1.
- Commons RJ, Simpson JA, Thriemer K, et al., The effect of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine and artemether-lumefantrine on the risk of Plasmodium vivax: an individual patient pooled analysis, PLOS Med, 2019; 16(10): e1002928.
- Commons RJ, Simpson JA, Thriemer K, et al., The haematological consequences of Plasmodium vivax malaria after chloroquine treatment with and without primaquine: a WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis, BMC Med, 2019; 17(1): 151.
- Commons RJ, Simpson JA, Thriemer K, et al., The risk of Plasmodium vivax parasitaemia after P. falciparum infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Lancet Infect Dis, 2019; 19(1): 91-101.
- Commons RJ, Simpson JA, Thriemer K, et al., The effect of chloroquine dose and primaquine on Plasmodium vivax recurrence: a WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network systematic review and individual patient pooled meta-analysis, Lancet Infect Dis, 2018; 18: 1025-1034.
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2016 NHMRC Research Excellence Awards
Two inspiring health researchers from Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies) were awarded prestigious National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Research Excellence Awards last night in Canberra.
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New evidence supports radical treatment of widespread form of malaria
A team of malaria experts from a large international research collaboration has today published results supporting the need for a radical cure strategy to tackle one of the most debilitating forms of malaria caused by the Plasmodium vivax parasite.
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Xinhua News | "Radical cure" best treatment for common malaria: study
(Xinhua) -- Researchers have discovered that a "radical cure" is the best treatment for a type of malaria affecting 13 million people.
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Improving P. vivax malaria treatment
A study, led by a team at Menzies School of Health Research in Australia, has assembled individual patient data from clinical trials conducted since 2000, investigating the effect of chloroquine dosing, combined with the partner drug primaquine, and the risk of recurrent malaria across different settings.
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NT News | Malaria breakthrough for NT
NT News page 7 - 21 July 2018 | Report on The Lancet Infectious Diseases P.vivax paper.
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SMH | Commonwealth regional research grants key to 'science diplomacy'
Among the other projects funded are the Menzies School of Health Research partnering with Bangladesh, Indonesia and Nepal to develop malaria treatments.
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Coverage from the 7th International Conference on Plasmodium vivax Research
Wrapping up the 7th International Conference on Plasmodium vivax Research, day three focused on the topics of P. vivax drugs and approaches for P. vivax elimination.
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7th International Conference on Plasmodium vivax Research | Final Report
MESA Correspondents bring you cutting-edge coverage from the 7th International Conference on Plasmodium vivax Research (ICPVR 2019).
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$400 million funding boost for health and medical research
Including Menzies School of Health Research work towards the elimination of chronic hepatitis B in the Northern Territory.
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Five medical research projects recognised in the Northern Territory
Five researchers based at Menzies have received recognition in the form of Investigator Grants from the NHMRC and the MRFF.
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Calls for a universal radical cure to treat malaria
The elimination of malaria from the Asia Pacific within the decade will require the safe and effective radical cure of malaria, a new paper in Trends in Parasitology suggests.
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Calls for a universal radical cure to treat malaria
The elimination of malaria from the Asia Pacific within the decade will require the safe and effective radical cure of malaria, a new paper in Trends in Parasitology suggests.
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Radical cure instrumental in beating malaria
Research findings by Charles Darwin University PhD graduate Dr Robert Commons has the potential to deliver health benefits to millions of malaria sufferers around the globe.
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Largest-ever IPD meta-analysis of malaria patients to inform haemoglobin changes
A new malaria study using a very large analysis of pooled individual patient data from more than 70,000 patients of all ages, has been published in BMC Medicine. Picture credit: Flickr, Cristhian Alama, Red Mundial