My Expertise
My focus is on the interaction of bacteria and the immune system in the gastrointestinal tract. I look at how bacteria colonize the intestine in newborn babies, how these colonizing bacteria develop into the ‘microbiome’ and how the microbiome promotes health, but also its contribution to disease.
Keywords
Fields of Research (FoR)
Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Microbial Ecology, AllergySEO tags
Biography
I am a research scientist specializing in the gastrointestinal microbiome to promote gastrointestinal health and limit the burden of inflammatory disease in infants and children.
My focus is on basic and clinical research to understand and optimizing health outcomes in infants and children. My aim is to understand how bacteria colonize the gastrointestinal tract, how these bacteria turn into a community commonly called the microbiome, and how...view more
I am a research scientist specializing in the gastrointestinal microbiome to promote gastrointestinal health and limit the burden of inflammatory disease in infants and children.
My focus is on basic and clinical research to understand and optimizing health outcomes in infants and children. My aim is to understand how bacteria colonize the gastrointestinal tract, how these bacteria turn into a community commonly called the microbiome, and how the microbiome interacts with the body. I work closely with physicians and health care professionals in both the Sydney Children’s Hospital and Royal Hospital for Women and together we look for ways to improve health outcomes in infants and children who suffer from gastrointestinal and associated inflammation disease including inflammatory bowel disease, eczema, allergy, necrotizing enterocolitis and irritable bowel syndrome.
I am also the head of laboratory research at Sydney Children’s Hospital and in this role I support a wide range of research projects and clinical trials into childhood disease.
My Grants
Funding sources: NHMRC, Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation, Janssen Pty Ltd, The R E Ross Trust
My Qualifications
BSc (Hons); PhD
My Awards
Postgraduate Research Supervisor Award
Deans Rising star award
Gastroenterology Society of Australia – Travel Grant
My Research Supervision
Supervision keywords
Areas of supervision
Infant and childhood gastrointestinal disease
Microbiome development
Infantile eczema
Allergy
Inflammatory bowel disease
Irritable bowel syndrome
Prebiotics and probiotics
Currently supervising
2 PhD students, 2 ILP students
My Engagement
Society Memberships: Gastroenterological Society of Australia
Professional Activities: Member of the Editorial Boards of Frontiers in Pediatrics Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Nutrients
Committee Membership: SCHN Kids Research Leadership Committee, SCHN Human Research Ethics Committee, The Infection disease, Immunity and Inflammation (Triple I) Clinical Academic Group Scientific Advisory Committee, MothersBabies Scientific Advisory Committee
Location
Level 2
Sydney Children’s Hospital
Randwick NSW 2031
Map reference (Google map)