Dr Hayley Dickinson

ARC Australian Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, The Ritchie Centre

Dr Hayley Dickinson is a physiologist whose research interests and expertise are in understanding how the placenta mediates the growth and development of the fetus, thereby affecting gestation length and fetal outcome. She is part of The Ritchie Centre’s Pregnancy and Maternal Health group.

Dr Dickinson’s research investigates a fundamental, and so far unanswered, question in reproductive biology – what determines the length of gestation? She is studying genes that regulate fetal growth and how they may influence the length of gestation. This research will establish whether gestation length is under the control of the mother, fetus or placenta. Understanding the mechanisms that control gestation length will underpin the development of effective therapies to better control pregnancy length for optimal offspring outcome, to ensure that babies born today become healthy adults tomorrow.

Dr Dickinson has published 13 research and review scientific articles and has authored over 48 abstracts for national and international meetings during her short research career. Dr Dickinson is a member of a number of Societies including the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ), The American Physiological Society (APS) and The Fetal and Neonatal Physiological Society (FNPS).

Dr Dickinson is currently in receipt of a Discovery Grant (with Associate Professor David Walker) and an Australian Post-doctoral Fellowship from the Australian Research Council (ARC) to carry on her investigation into the control of gestation length. She is also funded by the Monash University Strategic grant scheme with Professor Euan Wallace to explore the potential of human amnion epithelial cells in preventing lung injury in preterm infants.