Associate Professor Vincent Jasper Cornelisse

Keywords

sexually transmitted infections

sexual health

epidemiology

hepatitis

people who inject drugs

gonorrhea

hiv pre-exposure prophylaxis

harm reduction

Biography

A/Prof Vincent Cornelisse is the Medical Director of Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Services across the Mid North Coast and Northern NSW Local Health Districts, with clinics across a 500km stretch of coastline including in Tweed Valley, Lismore, Coffs Harbour, Grafton, Kempsey and Port Macquarie.

In 2025, he received a $796K grant from the Cancer Institute NSW to develop and implement an anal cancer screening program for people living...view more

In 2025, he received a $796K grant from the Cancer Institute NSW to develop and implement an anal cancer screening program for people living with HIV, in line with the new Australian anal cancer screening guidelines. Titled The PEACH Study (Preventing and Eliminating Anal Cancer for people living with HIV), the program has initially been implemented in Tweed Valley and Lismore, and is the first anal cancer screening program in a rural and regional setting in Australia.

Prior to his current role, he was a Staff Specialist in Sexual Health Medicine and Addiction Medicine at Kirketon Road Centre in Kings Cross, a NSW Health facility serving people who face barriers to accessing mainstream healthcare, including those experiencing homelessness, people who inject drugs, sex workers, young people and LGBTIQ people.

He completed his specialist training in sexual health medicine in Melbourne alongside a PhD in sexual health epidemiology at Monash University. His doctoral research focused on HIV and STI prevention, with a particular focus on saliva as a transmission mechanism for gonorrhoea. The thesis received the Award for Best Thesis in Sexual Health Medicine from the RACP and the Public Health Researcher Award from the Premier of Victoria.

Earlier in his career, he worked as a rural GP and Medical Superintendent of a small hospital in outback Queensland, a formative experience that has underpinned his long commitment to equitable healthcare access in rural and regional communities.

Current Sector Contributions

President-Elect, Chapter of Sexual Health Medicine, Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP)
Principal author, Australian Consensus Statement on Doxy-PEP for STI prevention
Co-author, Australian STI Management Guidelines
Co-author, Australian HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Guidelines

My Grants

Cancer Institute NSW – Accelerated Research Implementation Grant 2024

Grant title: 2024/ARIG1034 - Reducing the incidence and increasing survival of anal cancer in people living with HIV in regional and rural NSW.

Description: Implementation of the new Australian anal cancer screening guidelines for people living with HIV, in a regional sexual health service. Clinical process includes anal swab for HPV/cytology, followed by high-resolution anoscopy +/- biopsies, followed by treatment of HSIL using electrocautery. This implementation project will evaluate the patient experience and quality metrics at every step of this process.

Grant funding: $800K

Grant period: 3 years (01/01/2025 to 31/12/2027)

Role: Coordinating Chief Investigator

NSW Health – Translational Research Grant Scheme 2024

Grant title: LIVER CARE – Liver Innovation and Vital Enhancements for Regional Clinical Access and Research Excellence.

Description: A project to define current service availability for people with non-viral liver disease in MNCLHD and NNSWLHD, and develop care pathways to improve liver disease outcomes.

Grant funding: $94K

Grant period: 2.5 years (01/07/2025 to 31/12/2027)

Role: Coordinating Chief Investigator

NSW Health – Translational Research Grant Scheme 2025

Grant title: REACH Pacific: Researching Equity and Access for Culturally-informed Health.

Description: Improving access to sexual health and blood-borne virus screening for PALM Scheme workers in Rural NSW, focusing on NNSWLHD, MNCLHD, and HNELHD. This project aims to co-design culturally-sensitive outreach activities to improve screening and treatment for HIV, STIs and BBVs, for people on temporary visas under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Scheme (PALMS).

Grant funding: $498K

Grant period: 2.5 years (01/07/2026 to 31/12/2028)

Role: Coordinating Chief Investigator

My Qualifications

MBBS, PhD, FAChSHM, FAChAM, FRCP

PhD thesis: “Epidemiology of gonorrhoea, chlamydia and HIV in men who have sex with men, and evaluation of new prevention strategies."

My Awards

2019 - Winner of the Public Health Researcher Award - Victorian Premier's Awards in Health and Medical Research
2019 - Levinia Crooks Emerging Leader Award in STIs and BBVs - The Australasian Society for HIV Medicine (ASHM)
2021 - Best Postgraduate Thesis in Sexual Health Medicine - Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP)
2023 - Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians (UK)

My Research Activities

Sexual health epidemiology and public health interventions to reduce transmission of HIV and other sexually transmissible infections;
The PEACH Study - Preventing and Eliminating Anal Cancer for people living with HIV