Hayley Dickinson

Dr Hayley Dickinson is an NHMRC Biomedical Career Development Research Fellow (2014-2017), who obtained her PhD in reproductive physiology from Monash University in 2006.

Hayley’s research is aimed at reducing death and long-term burdens (health, emotional and economic) of major perinatal conditions such as birth asphyxia, stillbirth and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Hayley’s experimental work utilises the spiny mouse, a precocial rodent species with important similarities to human pregnancy in the timing of development of fetal organs and hormone production. She has modelled maternal viral and bacterial infection, maternal glucocorticoid excess, and intrauterine growth restriction and examined the fetal and postnatal consequences, and long-term outcomes in offspring. Hayley’s recent work, studying birth asphyxia in the spiny mouse, shows long-term multi-organ protection by maternal dietary creatine supplementation. Hayley now leads a series of clinical studies aimed at unravelling the role of creatine in pregnancy and perinatal health.

To date, Hayley has published 58 peer-reviewed manuscripts and 2 book chapters, and supervised 6 PhD students to completion. She currently supervises 3 PhD students and has obtained over $2.5 million in competitive research funding. Hayley was awarded the Monash University Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Deans Award for Research Excellence in 2013.