Dr Valerio is a senior research associate in the Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program at the Kirby Institute. Her area of research is largely focused on hepatitis C elimination among people who inject drugs. As an epidemiologist with more than ten years of training, Heather uses data from both large, population-based data linkage studies and observational cohorts to inform on the social determinants of hepatitis C testing and treatment and promote health equity. She is the CI of the Study to Narrow the Unmet Gaps in Hepatitis C Care for Mothers and Babies (SNUG Mum & Bub) study, a population-based mothers-babies linkage study aimed at understanding the intergenerational risk factors that contribute toward hepatitis C infection and care.