Samrawit is a PhD candidate at Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney where she researches socioeconomic disparities in cervical cancer prevention and mortality in Australia. Her doctoral work uses linked population-level data from the Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA) to examine how individual-level socioeconomic factors shape HPV vaccination uptake, cervical screening participation and cervical cancer mortality. This evidence helps show who is being left behind as Australia moves towards eliminating cervical cancer.
Her broader interests include health equity, preventive health policy and the health of underserved populations. Samrawit has published peer-reviewed research on inequalities in preventive and women’s health services in low- and middle-income countries. Moving beyond a deficit-focused view, she has also used a positive deviance approach to understand why some people in underserved communities achieve good health outcomes despite shared disadvantages.
Before starting her PhD, Samrawit completed a Master of Public Health at the University of Gondar, Ethiopia, where she went on to work as a Lecturer.
At ECC2026, she will present preliminary findings on socioeconomic disparities in HPV vaccination uptake in Australia from 2020 to 2024, highlighting where progress has been made and which groups may still be missing out.
