Prof Steven Tong

Head of Adaptive Platform Trials

Professor Steven Tong is an infectious diseases physician with the Victorian Infectious Diseases Service and Co‑Head of the Clinical and Health Services Research division at the Doherty Institute. He leads large‑scale global clinical trials for common infectious diseases and holds leadership roles across multiple adaptive platform trials, including as lead of the Staphylococcus aureus Network Adaptive Platform (SNAP) trial and the Australasian COVID‑19 Trial (ASCOT). Steven’s research achievements include the discovery and naming of two new Staphylococcus species, identification of a novel hepatitis B genotype in Indigenous Australians, and the conduct of landmark clinical trials in MRSA bloodstream infections, COVID‑19 and impetigo, enrolling more than 5,000 patients with Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections. His research interests span skin and hospital pathogens, Indigenous health, viral hepatitis and influenza, with a strong focus on applying cutting‑edge science to clinically driven questions.