Pregnancy and Development

Research Group Leader: Associate Professor Vicki Clifton

The Pregnancy and Development group focuses on the mechanisms that contribute to the growth of the fetus in human pregnancy and how problematic events during pregnancy alter those mechanisms to predispose the infant to diseases later in life.

The group is particularly interested in pregnancies complicated by asthma and pregnancies complicated by preterm delivery. Research also examines why male and female babies respond differently to a stress during pregnancy, with the female being more likely to survive and the male being more likely to be associated with poor growth, preterm delivery or death.

Research Priorities:

• Effect of asthma during pregnancy on maternal health, placental function and fetal growth
• Genetic alterations in placental function that contribute to the development of allergy in children
• Programming of the preterm neonatal immune system
• Impact of oxidative stress on preterm neonatal survival
• The role of iodine supplementation on cognition in primary school age children
• The impact of nurse-led antenatal care on maternal asthma severity during pregnancy
• The role of new media in health education of pregnant women.