Dr Kate Simms

Senior Research Fellow
E: kate.simms@nswcc.org.au

Research

Dr Kate Simms is a lead researcher in the Cervical cancer and HPV Group. Her research focusses on modelling the impact of HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening. She has been involved in modelled evaluations across a range of settings including Australia, New Zealand, England, the United States, Japan, and China as well as for the World Health Organisation (WHO). These evaluations helped inform national policy decisions, including the renewal of the Australian National Cervical Screening Program to primary HPV testing, and have also informed the WHO draft global strategy for cervical cancer elimination. 

Qualifications

  • PhD (Mathematical Modelling), University of Adelaide, South Australia 
  • Bachelor of Science (Hons, first class), University of New South Wales 

Academic affiliations 

Honorary Senior Research Fellow, School of Public Health, University of Sydney 

Selected key publications

Simms KT, Steinberg J, Caruana M, Smith M, Lew JB, Castle P, Soerjomataram I, Bray F, Canfell K Impact of scaled up human papillomavirus vaccination and cervical screening and the potential for global elimination of cervical cancer in 181 countries, 2020–99: a modelling study. Lancet Oncol 2019; 20(3): 394-407. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(18)30836-2 

Simms KT*, Hanley S*, Smith MA*, Canfell K, Keane A. Impact of HPV vaccine hesitancy on cervical cancer in Japan: a modelling study. Lancet Public Health 2020. doi: 10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30010-4 

Simms, KT., Smith, M. A., Lew, J. B., Kitchener, H. C., Castle, P. E., & Canfell, K. (2016). Will cervical screening remain cost‐effective in women offered the next generation nonavalent HPV vaccine? Results for four developed countries. International journal of cancer, 139(12), 2771-2780. 

Lew JB*, Simms KT,* Smith MA, Hall M, Kang YK, Xu X, Caruana M, Velentzis LS, Bessell T, Saville M, Hammond I and Canfell K. (*Joint first authors) Primary HPV testing versus cytology-based cervical screening in women in Australia vaccinated for HPV and unvaccinated: effectiveness and economic assessment for the National Cervical Screening Program. Lancet Public Health 2017; 2:e96-107. doi: 10.1016/S2468-2667(17)30007-5 

Canfell K, Kim JJ, Brisson M, Keane A, Simms KT, Caruana M, Burger EA, Martin D, Nguyen DTN, Benard E, Sy S, Regan C, Drolet M, Gingras G, Laprise JF, Torode J, Smith MA, Fidarova E, Trapani D, Bray F, Ilbawi A, Broutet N, Hutubessy R. Mortality impact of achieving WHO cervical cancer elimination targets: a comparative modelling analysis in 78 low-income and lower-middle-income countries. Lancet 2020; 395(10224):591-603. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(20)30157-4 

Brisson M, Kim JJ, Canfell K, Drolet M, Gingras G, Burger EA, Martin D, Simms KT, Benard E, Boilly MC, Sy S, Regan C, Keane A, Caruana M, Nguyen DTN, Smith MA, Laprise JF, Jit M, Alary M, Bray F, Fidarova E, Elsheikh F, Bloem PJN, Broutet N, Hutubessy R. Impact of HPV vaccination and cervical screening on cervical cancer elimination: a comparative modelling analysis in 78 low-income and lower-middle-income countries. Lancet 2020;395(10224):575-90. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30068-4 

*Joint first authors