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Healthy Development Adelaide and Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation PhD (top-up) Scholarships

HDA Scholars - third cohort

The following HDA scholars were awarded Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation PhD top-up scholarships 2012-2013/2014.

Sam Buckberry

Principal supervisor: Professor Claire Roberts (The Robinson Institute, University of Adelaide). Co-supervisors: Dr Tina Bianco-Miotto (The Robinson Institute, University of Adelaide), Dr Stephen Bent (School of Molecular Biosciences, University of Adelaide), and Professor Gus Dekker (Discipline of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Adelaide)

PhD Project: The transcriptional landscape of the human placenta and gene expression differences between the sexes. The aim of my project will be to delve deeper into sex-specific differences in the placenta by analysing the whole placental transcriptome.

Angela Gialamas

Principal supervisor: Professor John Lynch (Discipline of Public Health, University of Adelaide). Co-supervisors: Professor Michael Sawyer (Women’s and Children’s Health Network), Dr Murthy Mittinty (Discipline of Public Health, University of Adelaide) and Professor Stephen Zubrick (Telethon Institute for Child Health Research)

PhD Project: Does the type, quality and time spent in non-parental child care influence children’s cognitive and social-emotional development? This study will examine the impact of non-parental child care on children’s cognitive and social-emotional development.

Jessica Gugusheff

Principal supervisor: Dr Beverly Muhlhausler (Foodplus Research Centre, University of Adelaide). Co-supervisor: Professor Bob Gibson (Foodplus Research Centre, University of Adelaide)

PhD Project: The early origins of a preference for fat: the importance of endogenous opioids. The aim of my PhD project is to determine the role of the developing endogenous opioid signalling pathway in mediating the preference for junk food in offspring exposed to a maternal junk food diet during fetal and neonatal life.

Stefania Velardo

Principal supervisor: Professor Murray Drummond (School of Education, Flinders University). Co-supervisors: Dr Claire Drummond (Social Health Sciences, Flinders University) and Dr Kate Ridley (School of Education, Flinders University)

PhD Project: Understanding preadolescent nutrition literacy in low socioeconomic communities. This qualitative research project aims to explore the concept of nutrition literacy amongst preadolescent children aged 10-12 living in a disadvantaged region of Adelaide, using a socio-ecological model of health.

Mini Vithayathil

Principal supervisor: Dr Beverly Muhlhausler (Foodplus Research Centre, University of Adelaide). Co-supervisor: Professor Bob Gibson (Foodplus Research Centre, University of Adelaide)

PhD Project: The early origins of obesity: the importance of prenatal vs postnatal environment. This project aims to determine whether offspring born to obese mothers who are suckled by a lean mother have different outcomes to offspring suckled by another obese mother.

HDA Scholars - second cohort

The following HDA scholars were awarded Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation PhD top-up scholarships 2009-2011.

Lisa Akison

Primary supervisor: Dr Rebecca Robker (Research Centre for Reproductive Health, The Robinson Institute, University of Adelaide). Co-supervisors: Prof Richard Ivell (School of Molecular & Biomedical Sciences, University of Adelaide) and Prof Rob Norman (The Robinson Institute, University of Adelaide).

PhD Project: The molecular mechanisms regulating ovulation. Identifying the mechanisms underlying the fundamental process of ovulation provides strategies for understanding and preserving normal female fertility, as well as ameliorating infertility and its complications. Overall, the outcomes will produce an entirely revised view of the process of ovulation, and the molecular control of peri-conception events.

Georgie Crichton

Primary supervisor: Dr Karen Murphy (Nutritional Physiology Research Centre, University of South Australia). Co-supervisor: Dr Janet Bryan (School of Psychology, University of South Australia).

PhD Project: Investigating the effects of low fat dairy consumption on cognitive functioning, psychological wellbeing, and cardiometabolic health. If increasing dairy consumption has a beneficial impact on body weight and cognitive health then increasing dairy intake is easily modifiable and may help to prevent obesity and obesity-related disease amongst young Australians.

Zhi Yi Ong

Primary supervisor: Dr Beverly Muhlhausler (Early Origins of Adult Health Research Group, University of South Australia). Co-supervisor: Prof Caroline McMillen (Early Origins of Adult Health Research Group, University of South Australia).

PhD Project: Determining whether being exposed to maternal junk food diet during fetal life leads to altered development of the central reward pathway. The central reward pathway develops during fetal and early postnatal life and can be exposed to sugar and fat from the maternal diet before birth. By understanding the underlying mechanisms involved in the programming of food preferences to better develop nutritional interventions which can be used during early postnatal life to counteract induced maternal high-fat feeding. This project brings together a range of disciplines including physiology, neuroendocrinology and nutrition.

Luca Prisciandaro

Primary supervisor: A/Prof Gordon Howarth (Discipline of Animal Science, University of Adelaide / Department of Gastroenterology, Women's & Children's Hospital). Co-supervisors: Dr Mark Geier (SARDI), Dr Adrian Cummins (Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, QEH) and A/Prof Ross Butler (Department of Gastroenterology, Women's & Children's Hospital).

PhD Project: Identifying probiotic supernatants which are efficacious in mucositis, and secondly, to identify components of the supernatant responsible for these beneficial effects. Intestinal mucositis, which currently has no definitive treatment is one of the most common side effects of chemo- or radiotherapy and affects patients of all ages. Current findings suggest efficacy of certain probiotics in the treatment of mucositis. The development of a therapy for mucositis will alllow patients to undergo therapy uninterrupted increasing the efficacy of the treatment.

Natasha Schranz

Primary supervisors: Dr Grant Tomkinson and A/Prof Tim Olds (School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia). Co-supervisor: Dr Natalie Sinn (Nutritional Physiology Research Centre, University of South Australia).

PhD Project: Running a resistance training intervention for overweight and obese adolescent males. The range of outcome measures include physical, social, psychological and nutritional benefits. The links that have been made between childhood and adolescent cardiovascular disease and obesity with adulthood cardiovascular disease and mortality are clear indications to the need for research into the factors associated with metabolic risk in children and adoelscents.

Dorota Zarnowiecki

Primary supervisor: Dr Jim Dollman (School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia). Co-supervisor: Dr Natalie Sinn (Nutritional Physiology Research Centre, University of South Australia).

PhD Project: Exploring resilience in relation to dietary behaviours among children from neighbourhoods of low socioeconomic postion. The project aims to develop a reliable tool for assessing nutrition knowledge in 5-6 year old children using pictures to maintain children's interest and motivation and are appropriate for their level of cognitive development.

HDA Scholars - first cohort

The following inaugural HDA scholars were awarded a Healthy Development Adelaide PhD top-up scholarship in 2006-2008.

Leigh Guerin

Supervisors: A/Prof Sarah Robertson (Discipline of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Adelaide) and Dr John Hayball (School of Pharmacy and Medical Science, University of South Australia).

PhD Project: Role of maternal T regulatory cells in healthy pregnancy. This is an area of research of pivotal importance to maternal immune tolerance of the conceptus in pregnancy. It is now recognised that disturbances in the maternal immune response can underpin various pathologies of pregnancy including implantation failure, miscarriage and pre-eclampsia. T regulatory cells are believed to be central mediators of maternal tolerance in pregnancy, however the means by which these cells are induced in the peri-implantation period and their antigen reactivity are unknown. Through unravelling the factors regulating the ontogeny and function of these cells in the implantation site we seek to identify new therapeutic targets for infertility and optimal fetal growth.

Siew Seen Lim

Supervisors: A/Prof Manny Noakes / Dr Peter Clifton (CSIRO Human Nutrition) and Prof Robert Norman (Research Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Adelaide).

PhD Project: Determinants of responsiveness to dietary intervention in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) women to improve reproductive outcomes. Previous studies on dietary interventions on PCOS women have seen variable results in terms of reproductive outcomes. This project aims to determine the predictors of responders versus non responders to lifestyle intervention in PCOS women.

Anne Raimondo

Supervisors: A/Prof Murray Whitelaw (Discipline of Biochemistry, University of Adelaide) and Dr Simon Koblar (Discipline of Genetics, University of Adelaide).

PhD Project: Studying the Single-Minded protein 1 (SIM1), a transcription factor which is thought to possess roles in early neural development and regulation of the feeding response in adults. By seeking to identify those genes whose expression is directly regulated by the in vivo activity of SIM1, I hope to gain a better understanding of the behaviour of this protein at the molecular level. Gene disruption studies in mice have shown that animals null for the SIM1 gene die at birth due to a lack of neuroendocrine secreting cells in the hypothalamus. Furthermore, heterozygote animals maintaining one allele of the SIM1 gene develop early onset obesity, which phenocopies a childhood obesity syndrome seen in humans who suffer a translocation of the SIM1 locus.

Lynlea Simmonds

Supervisors: Prof Jason White / Dr Rod Irvine (Discipline of Pharmacology, University of Adelaide) and Dr Lisa Kettler (School of Psychology, University of Adelaide).

PhD Project: Pharmacological, cognitive and emotional outcomes of ecstasy use in young people. The focus of my PhD is the investigation of the short-term (post-acute) pharmacological and psychological effects of ecstasy (MDMA). Specifically, the study will investigate the cognitive performance and mood states of people who currently use ecstasy in the days following use of the drug and the pharmacological effects of MDMA over this same period. There is a paucity of research investigating the post-acute effects of ecstasy, and it is hoped that the current research will be able to provide valuable information regarding the short-term effects of the drug.