More details from our guest speakers:

March

Wed 4 March 7pm, CWA Hall Dungog

3 short talks on lung health, aging & pregnancy

Professor Lisa Wood, PhD (University of Newcastle) is Professor of Biomedical Science and Head of Nutrition Research, within the Priority Research Centre (PRC) for Healthy Lungs and the Grow Up Well PRC, University of Newcastle, Australia. Prof Wood is a nutritional biochemist and registered nutritionist (RNutr). Her talk will focus on how nutritional factors such as antioxidants, fatty acids, fibre and obesity, can enhance or suppress inflammation. She will discuss how this can contribute to the development and progression of disease, with a particular focus on the lungs. Dr Wood and her team have published extensively in the area (>150 peer reviewed journal articles) and have contributed to the development of disease management guidelines, such as the Australian Asthma Handbook and the National Asthma Council of Australia ‘Healthy Lifestyles’ brochure series. Her research has been recognized by various awards, including the Nutrition Society of Australia Research Award and the HMRI Mid Career research award in 2018. Dr Wood serves as President of the Nutrition Society of Australia, Treasurer of the Australian Nutrition Trust, Deputy Editor for Respirology and Editorial Board member for Nutrients.

Isobel Stoodley (University of Newcastle PhD student) will look at how you can stay stronger for longer. She will discuss a study that is running for older people, using a diet and exercise intervention to improve body composition and help combat the effects of aging.

Dr John T Fitter (Senior Research Officer, Mothers & Babies Research Centre, University of Newcastle) The processes of human pregnancy and birth are complicated, multifactorial events still little understood enough to allow us to manage difficult or problem situations with certainty. Our research centre aims to gain a strong understanding to enable a healthy transition from pregnancy to young adult offspring without intervention unless necessary to maintain life. To this end we have a multi-disciplinary team of researchers with some 70 projects involving Molecular Biology, Tissue culture, BioAssays, Nanotechnology as a means of targeted drug delivery, and culturally appropriate Indigenous maternal health programs with Australian Aborigines, as well as with the mountain people of Nepal. We have Premature birth programs with Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in North Queensland. We study the human placenta, the myometrium (the muscle layer of the uterus) using donated samples. We have fetal brain injury research program using guinea pigs aimed at ways to minimize brain injury when the placenta is compromised, or maternal blood flow is low. My presentation will highlight some of the problems in human pregnancies and our research aimed at tackling the problems. I will also give a summary of how successful the project in Nepal has become from a start in the Mothers & Babies Research Centre.