Ritchie Centre for Baby Health Research

The Ritchie Centre for Baby Health Research, through greater knowledge of the developmental physiology of the fetus and of the newborn, aims to prevent the death of babies and to improve their overall health. The research efforts of the Ritchie Centre focus on stages of human life from birth through infancy and childhood. Ritchie Centre scientists and clinicians and have expertise in neonatal and fetal physiology, newborn intensive care and paediatric sleep disorders.

Babies born preterm often have cardio-respiratory problems requiring long-term ventilation therapy, risking permanent breathing and sleeping related problems. Therefore, major research areas of the Centre include increasing the safety of the birthing process, developing new therapies for preterm babies, the examination of brain injury and infants' sleeping patterns.

The close collaboration between scientists of the Ritchie Centre, The Melbourne Children’s Sleep Unit and clinicians at the Monash Newborn Unit at Monash Medical Centre offers a unique setting where research developments can be rapidly applied for the benefit of seriously ill babies and children.