Associate Professor Vicki Clifton

• Biography/ Background

  Associate Professor Vicki Clifton is a NHMRC Senior Research Fellow and has been employed at the Robinson Institute, Department of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health at the University of Adelaide since January 2008 after many years at the Mothers and Babies Research Centre in Newcastle. She has been appointed as the Director of Clinical Research Development at the Lyell McEwin Hospital in Adelaide. A/Prof Clifton has a background in immunology, asthma, fetal growth, reproductive endocrinology and maternal and placental physiology. Her research has examined aspects of placental function which has evolved into an investigation of those factors that program fetal development and neonatal adaptation.

• Qualifications

  1996 Doctor of Philosophy
  Reproductive Endocrinology
  The University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia
  
  1990 Bachelor of Science and Mathematics (Honours I)
  The University of Newcastle, NSW,

• Awards & Achievements

  International Prizes
  2003 Gabor Than Medal Award In Placentology
  International Federation of Placental Associations

  1996 President's Presenters Award
  Society of Gynecologic Investigation

  National Prizes
  2002 Arthur Wilson Memorial Scholarship
  Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

  1994 Sandoz Junior Scientist of the Year
  Endocrine Society of Australia

  Institutional Prizes
  2011 Mentorship Award
  Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Adelaide

  1999 Hunter Medical Researcher of the Year
  Hunter Medical Research Institute

  1998-1999 Brawn Memorial Postdoctoral Fellowship
  The University of Newcastle, NSW

  1991-1995 Maternal Health Research Scholarship
  Maternal Health Research Centre, NSW, Australia

• Research Interests

  A/Prof Clifton has a strong background in immunology, asthma, fetal growth, reproductive endocrinology and maternal and placental physiology. Her research has examined aspects of placental and myometrial function. Her research interests have evolved into an investigation of those factors that program fetal development and neonatal adaptation. She also has a background in changes in maternal physiology during pregnancy with an interest in the complications of asthma and pre-eclampsia.

  As an initiative, A/Prof Clifton identified asthma as a common condition in pregnancy that might provide a valuable model in which to study the effects of an inflammatory process on the outcome of the pregnancy. Her results have been startling, identifying an important sex dependent difference in the fetal growth response to maternal asthma.

  The results have lead to many prizes for her students, publications in the asthma and obstetric literature and reviews in high impact factor journals such as Endocrine Reviews. Clinically this study has demonstrated that asthmatic women require extra care during their pregnancies and resulted in funding by NHMRC (2007-2010) for a randomized control trial for treatment regimes specifically for pregnant asthmatic women.

  Scientifically this work has started to create a picture of what sex specific factors are involved in preterm delivery and fetal development in pathological pregnancies. This work has been generously funded by The Asthma Foundation of NSW for the last 10 years and by an NHMRC priming grant and 2 project grant for 9 years. The research in preterm neonates has identified significant differences in physiological stability at birth based on the sex of the neonate and she has formed a strong team to continue to explore this area of research with the combination of Dr Michael Stark, Dr Nicolette Hodyl and Prof Ross Haslam. These studies will have a significant impact on how we treat preterm infants in the future.
  

• Research Funding

  NHMRC Grants
  

  • Project Epigenetic programming of immune development in utero: role of the maternal environment in the allergy epidemic, 2011-2013
  • Project The effect of chronic maternal asthma and acute exacerbations on placental function and fetal development, 2009-2011
  • Project Managing asthma in pregnancy: the MAP study, 2007-2010
  • Project The effect of asthma during pregnancy on placental function and fetal development, 2003-2005
  • Equipment Equipment Grant- Sievers NOA nitric oxide analyzer, 2003
  • Project The effect of severe asthma on placental function and fetal HPA, 2000-2002
  • Equipment 1999

  ARC Grants
  

  • ARC Linkage E-health communication strategy and design: evaluating the influence of new media interventions on the health of patients from vulnerable populations, 2012-2013
  • ARC Discovery The Ontogeny of Pain Behaviour: A Novel Neuroimmune Pathway. 2009-2011

  Fellowships
  

  • NHMRC Senior Research Fellow, 2013-2017
  • NHMRC Senior Research Fellow Level A, 2008-2012
  • NHMRC Career Development Grant: RD Wright Fellowship, 2004-2008 
  • Brawn Post-doctoral Fellowship 1998-19999

  
  Government Grants

  • Department of Health and Aging 
  • Asthma and pregnancy research

  
  Other Funding Bodies

  • Women's and Children's Research Foundation (Adelaide)
  • Antenatal glucocorticoids, the placental barrier and protection of the preterm infant, 2011
  • Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation
  • Placental PPAR pathways and respiratory morbidity following preterm birth, 2011
  • Women's and Children's Research Foundation (Adelaide)
  • Sex-specific inflammation in preterm deliveries with chorioamnionitis, 2010
  • Asthma Foundation The effect of maternal asthma and its treatment on placental p38MAP Kinase activity, 2007
  • Asthma Foundation The effect of maternal asthma and its treatment on placental and fetal glucocorticoid receptor expression, 2006
  • Asthma Foundation The relationship between eosinophilic inflammation, viral infection, and severe asthma exacerbations during pregnancy, 2006
  • Asthma Foundation The effect of maternal asthma during pregnancy on the fetal immune system, 2006
  • University of Newcastle Viral infections and asthma exacerbations during pregnancy, 2006
  • University of Newcastle Maternal asthma during pregnancy alters response to glucocorticoids in a sexually dimorphic manner, 2006
  • Hunter Medical Research Institute
  • Neurosteroids in the neonatal brain, 2006
  • Hunter Medical Research Institute
  • Perinatal programming of anxiety disorders, 2006
  • University of Newcastle The effect of maternal infection on pre-disposition towards asthma in adulthood, 2005
  • Asthma Foundation The effect of maternal asthma on the fetal immune system, 2005
  • University of Newcastle The effect of maternal inflammation on fetal development, placental function, and neonatal immune competence: an animal model of asthma during pregnancy, 2004
  • University of Newcastle Use of SELDI-TOF-MS to identify proteins relevant to human labour, 2003
  • John Hunter Hospital Charitable Trust
  • The effect of CRH-like peptides on maternal microvascular circulation during pregnancy, 2003
  • University of Newcastle Effect of prenatal exposure to bacteria on placental 11βHSD activity in the guinea pig, 2003
  • RANZCOG The effect of maternal asthma during pregnancy on placental function, 2002-2003
  • Hunter Medical Research Institute
  • Glucocorticoid regulation of prostaglandin H synthase, 2001
  • The Asthma Foundation The effect of severe asthma during pregnancy on placental function and fetal growth, 2000
  • Ramaciotti Foundation The effect of CRH on gap junction formation in the human myometrium, 1999
  • Asthma Foundation The effect of severe asthma during pregnancy on placental function and fetal growth, 1999
  • Rebecca L Cooper Foundation Equipment grant - imaging analysis system, 1999
  • Asthma Foundation 1998

• Publications

  • Wynne O, Horvat JC, Smith R, Hansbro PM, Clifton VL, Hodgson DM. (2012) Effect of neonatal respiratory infection on adult BALB/c hippocampal glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors. Dev Psychobiol. 2012 Jul;54(5):568-75. doi: 10.1002/dev.20615. Epub 2011 Oct 17
  • Stark MJ, Hodyl NA, Butler M, Clifton VL (2012) Localisation and characterisation of uncoupling protein-2 (UCP2) in the human preterm placenta. Placenta (in press)
  • McLernon PC, Wood LG, Murphy VE, Hodyl NA & Clifton VL (2012). Fatty acid profile of pregnant women with asthma. The European e-Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism), 7(2), e78-e85.
  • McLernon P, Wood LG, Murphy VE, Hodyl NA & Clifton VL (2012). Circulating antioxidant profile of pregnant women with asthma. Clinical Nutrition 31(1):99-107
  • Hodyl NA, Stark MJ, Osei-Kumah A, Bowman M, Gibson P, Clifton VL. (2011) Fetal Glucocorticoid-regulated Pathways Are Not Affected by Inhaled Corticosteroid Use for Asthma during Pregnancy. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2011 Mar 15;183(6):716-22. Epub 2010 Oct 8.
  • Scott NM, Hodyl NA, Osei-Kumah A, Stark MJ, Smith R, Clifton VL. (2011) The presence of maternal asthma during pregnancy suppresses the placental pro-inflammatory response to an immune challenge in vitro. Placenta. 2011 Mar 29. [Epub ahead of print]
  • Osei-Kumah A, Smith R, Jurisica I, Caniggia I, Clifton VL. (2011) Sex-specific differences in placental global gene expression in pregnancies complicated by asthma. Placenta. 2011 Jun 3. [Epub ahead of print]
  • McLernon PC, Wood LG, Murphy VE, Hodyl NA, Clifton VL. (2011) Circulating antioxidant profile of pregnant women with asthma. Clin Nutr. 2011 Sep 28. [Epub ahead of print]
  • Powell H, Murphy VE, Taylor DR, Hensley MJ, McCaffery K, Giles W, Clifton VL, Gibson PG. (2011) Management of asthma in pregnancy guided by measurement of fraction of exhaled nitric oxide: a double-blind, randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2011 Sep 10;378(9795):983-90
  • Clifton VL., Hodyl NA, Murphy VE, Giles WB, Baxter RC & Smith R. (2010) Effect of maternal asthma, inhaled glucocorticoids and cigarette use during pregnancy on the newborn insulin-like growth factor axis. Growth Hormone & IGF Research 20, 39-48.
  • Hodyl NA, Walker FR, Krivanek KM, Clifton VL, Hodgson DM. (2010) Prenatal endotoxin exposure alters behavioural pain responses to lipopolysaccharide in adult offspring.Physiol Behav. 2010 May 11;100(2):143-7.
  • Hodyl NA, Wyper H, Osei-Kumah A, Scott N, Murphy VE, Gibson P, Smith R, Clifton VL. Sex-specific associations between cortisol and birth weight in pregnancies complicated by asthma are not due to differential glucocorticoid receptor expression. Thorax. 2010 Aug;65(8):677-83.
  • Murphy VE, Clifton VL & Gibson, PG (2010). The effect of cigarette smoking on asthma control during exacerbations in pregnant women. Thorax 65, 739-744.
  • Osei-Kumah, A., Wark, P.A.B., Smith, R. & Clifton, V.L. (2010) Asthma during pregnancy alters immune cell profile and airway epithelial chemokine release. Inflammation Research 59, 349-358.
  • Lash GE, Burton GJ, Chamley LW, Clifton VL, Constancia M, Crocker IP, Dantzer V, Desoye G, Drewlo S, Hemmings DG, Hiendleder S, Kalionis B, Keelan JA, Kudo Y, Lewis RM, Manuelpillai U, Murthi P, Natale D, Pfarrer C, Robertson S, Saffery R, Saito S, Sferruzzi-Perri A, Sobrevia L, Waddell BJ, Roberts CT. (2010) IFPA Meeting 2009 workshops report. Placenta. 2010 Mar;31 Suppl:S4-20.
  • Zarzycki PK, Zarzycka MB, Slaczka MM, Clifton VL (2010). Acetonitrile, the polarity chameleon. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2010 Jun;397(3):905-8.
  • Murphy VE, Clifton VL, Gibson PG (2010) The effect of cigarette smoking on asthma control during exacerbations in pregnant women. Thorax
  • Clifton VL., Engel P, Smith R, Gibson P, Brinsmead M & Giles WB. (2009) Maternal and neonatal outcomes of pregnancies complicated by asthma in an Australian population. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol 49, 619-626.
  • Vu TT, Hirst, JJ, Stark M, Wright IMR, Palliser HK, Hodyl N & Clifton VL (2009) Changes in human placental 5 alpha-reductase isoenzyme expression with advancing gestation: effects of fetal sex and glucocorticoid exposure. Reproduction Fertility and Development 21, 599-607.
  • Scott NM, Hodyl NA, Murphy VE, Osei-Kumah A, Wyper H, Hodgson DM, Smith R & Clifton VL (2009). Placental cytokine expression co-varies with maternal asthma severity and fetal sex Journal of Immunology 182:1411-20.
  • Stark MJ, Clifton VL, Wright IMR (2009) Carbon Monoxide Is A Significant Mediator Of Cardiovascular Status Following Preterm Birth And May Contribute To Excess Male Deaths. Pediatrics 124:277-84.
  • Stark MJ, Wright IM, Clifton VL. (2009) Sex-specific alterations in placental 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 activity and early postnatal clinical course following antenatal betamethasone. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 297:R510-4.
  • Stark MJ, Clifton VL, Wright IM. (2009) Neonates born to mothers with preeclampsia exhibit sex-specific alterations in microvascular function. Pediatr Res. 65:292-5.
  • Prescott SL, Clifton VL (2009) Asthma and pregnancy: emerging evidence of epigenetic interactions in utero. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 9:417-26. Review.
  • Stark MJ, Clifton VL & Wright IMR (2008) Sex specific differences in peripheral microvascular blood flow in preterm infants. Pediatric Research
  • Stark MJ, Clifton VL & Wright IMR (2008) Microvascular flow, clinical illness severity and cardiovascular function in the preterm infant. Archives in Childhood Disease
  • Engel PJ Smith R, Brinsmead MW, Bowe SJ & Clifton VL (2008) Male sex and pre-existing diabetes are independent risk factors for stillbirth Aust New Zealand J Obstet Gynaecol 48: 375-83
  • Johnson RF, Rennie N, Murphy V, Zakar T, Clifton V, Smith R (2008) Expression of Glucocorticoid Receptor mRNA Transcripts in the Human Placenta at Term. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 93:4887-4893
  • Hodyl NA, Krivanek KM, Clifton VL, Hodgson DM. 2008 Innate immune dysfunction in the neonatal rat following prenatal endotoxin exposure. Journal of Neuroimmunology 204: 126-130
  • Osei-Kumah A, Smith R, Clifton VL 2008 Maternal and cord plasma cytokine and chemokine profile in pregnancies complicated by asthma. Cytokine. 43(2):187-93.
  • Mayhew TM, Jenkins H, Todd B & Clifton, VL (2008) Maternal asthma and placental morphometry: effects of severity, treatment and fetal sex. Placenta 29, 366-373.
  • Hodyl NA, Walker FR, Krivanek KN, Clifton VL, Hodgson DM. (2007) Modelling prenatal bacterial infection; functional consequences of altered HPA development. Behav Brain Res. 178(1):108-14.
  • Clifton VL, Bisits A, Zarzycki PK (2007) Characterization of human fetal cord blood steroid profiles in relation to fetal sex and mode of delivery using temperature-dependent inclusion chromatography and principal component analysis (PCA) J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 855(2):249-54.
  • Hodyl NA, Krivanek KM, Lawrence E, Clifton VL and Hodgson DM. (2007) Prenatal exposure to a pro-inflammatory stimulus causes delays in immune maturation in the offspring Journal of Neuroimmunology 190(1-2):61-71.
  • Tolosa JM, Schjenken JE, Civiti TD, Clifton VL. and Smith R. (2007) A column based method to simultaneously extract DNA, RNA and protein from the same sample. Biotechniques
  • Murphy VE, Johnson RF, Wang YC Akinsanya K, Gibson PG, Smith R, Clifton VL 2006 Proteomic study of plasma proteins in pregnant women with asthma. Respirology 11:41-8
  • Clifton VL, Rennie N, Murphy VE 2006 Effect of inhaled glucocorticoid treatment on placental 11beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 activity and neonatal birth weight in pregnancies complicated by asthma. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (in press)
  • Zarzycki PK, Kulhanek KM, Smith R, Clifton VL 2006 Determination of steroids in human plasma using temperature-dependent inclusion chromatography for metabolomic investigations. J Chromatogr A 1104:203-8.
  • Murphy VE, Fittock R, Zarzycki P, Delahunty M, Smith R, Clifton VL 2007 Metabolism of synthetic steroids by the human placenta. Placenta 28:39-46.
  • Stark MJ, Dierkx L, Clifton VL and Wright IMR 2006 Alterations in the maternal peripheral response in pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia and the impact of fetal sex. Journal of the Society of Gynecologic Investigation 13:573-578.
  • Murphy VE, Johnson RF, Wang YC, Akinsanya K, Gibson PG, Smith R, Clifton VL 2005 The effect of maternal asthma on placental and cord blood protein profiles. J Soc Gynecol Investig 12:349-55.
  • Clifton VL, Crompton R, Read MA, Gibson PG, Smith R, Wright IM 2005 Microvascular effects of corticotropin-releasing hormone in human skin vary in relation to estrogen concentration during the menstrual cycle. J Endocrinol 186:69-76.
  • Vanderlelie J, Venardos K, Clifton VL, Gude NM, Clarke FM, Perkins AV 2005 Increased biological oxidation and reduced anti-oxidant enzyme activity in pre-eclamptic placentae. Placenta 26:53-8.
  • Murphy VE, Gibson PG, Talbot PI, Kessell CG, Clifton VL 2005 Asthma self-management skills and the use of asthma education during pregnancy. Eur Respir J 26:435-41.
  • Osei-Kumah A, Ammit AJ, Smith R, Ge Q, Clifton VL 2005 Inflammatory Mediator Release in Normal Bronchial Smooth Muscle Cells is Altered by Pregnant Maternal and Fetal Plasma Independent of Asthma. Placenta Epub ahead of print Oct 21 2005.
  • Clifton VL, Vanderlelie J, Perkins AV 2005 Increased anti-oxidant enzyme activity and biological oxidation in placentae of pregnancies complicated by maternal asthma. Placenta 26:773-9.
  • Murphy VE, Gibson P, Talbot PI, Clifton VL 2005 Severe Asthma Exacerbations During Pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol 106:1046-1054
  • Johnson RF, Mitchell CM, Clifton V, Zakar T 2004 Regulation of 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (PGDH) gene activity, messenger ribonucleic acid processing, and protein abundance in the human chorion in late gestation and labor. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 89:5639-48.
  • Murphy VE, Gibson PG, Giles WB, Smith, R. and Clifton VL. 2003 Maternal asthma is associated with reduced female fetal growth. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 168:1317-23
  • Murphy VE, Clifton VL 2003 Alterations in human placental 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 and 2 with gestational age and labour. Placenta 24:739-44
  • Crompton R, Clifton VL, Bisits AT, Read MA, Smith R, Wright IM 2003 Corticotropin-releasing hormone causes vasodilation in human skin via mast cell-dependent pathways. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 88:5427-32
  • Holloway AC, Howe DC, Chan G, Clifton VL, Smith R, Challis JR 2002 Urocortin: a mechanism for the sustained activation of the HPA axis in the late-gestation ovine fetus? Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 283:E165-71
  • Clifton VL, Wallace EM, Smith R 2002 Short-term effects of glucocorticoids in the human fetal-placental circulation in vitro. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 87:2838-42
  • O'Dwyer DT, Clifton V, Hall A, Smith R, Robinson PJ, Crock PA 2002 Pituitary autoantibodies in lymphocytic hypophysitis target both gamma- and alpha-Enolase - a link with pregnancy? Arch Physiol Biochem 110:94-8.
  • Murphy VE, Zakar T, Smith R, Giles WB, Gibson PG, Clifton VL 2002 Reduced 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 activity is associated with decreased birth weight centile in pregnancies complicated by asthma. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 87:1660-8
  • Clifton VL, Crompton R, Smith R, Wright IM 2002 Microvascular effects of CRH in human skin vary in relation to gender. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 87:267-70
  • Gu Q, Clifton VL, Schwartz J, Madsen G, Sha J, Smith R 2001 Characterization of urocortin in human pregnancy. Chin Med J (Engl) 114:618-22.
  • Clifton VL, Giles WB, Smith R, Bisits AT, Hempenstall P, Kessell CG, Gibson PG. 2001 Alterations of placental vascular function in asthmatic pregnancies. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 164:546-53
  • McLean M, Bowman M, Clifton V, Smith R, Grossman A. (2000) Expression of the heme oxygenase-carbon monoxide signalling system in human placenta. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 85(6):2345 -2349.
  • Clifton VL, Qing G, Murphy VE, Schwartz J, Madsen G, Smith R. (2000) Localisation and characterization of urocortin during human pregnancy. Placenta 21(8):782-788.
  • Patel F, Clifton VL, Challis JRG. (1999) Steroid regulation of prostaglandin dehydrogenase activity and expression in human term placenta and chorio-decidua in relation to labor. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 84(1):291-299.
  • Clifton VL, Telfer JT, Teoh TC, Lye SJ, Cameron IT, Challis JRG. (1998) Localisation of corticotropin-releasing hormone and pro-opiomelanocortin peptides in the human myometrium. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 83(10):3716-3721.
  • Clifton VL, Challis JRG. (1997) Placental corticotropin releasing hormone function (review) The Endocrinologist 7:448-458.
  • Clifton VL, Read MA, Boura ALA, Robinson PJ, Smith R. (1996) Adrenocorticotropin hormone causes vasodilatation in the human fetal-placental circulation. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 81(4):1406-1410.
  • Clifton VL, Read MA, Leitch IM, Boura ALA, Robinson PJ, Smith R. (1995) Corticotropin-releasing hormone-induced vasodilatation in the human fetal-placental circulation: involvement of nitric oxide-cyclic guanosine 3'5'-monophosphate-mediated pathway. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 80(10):2888-93.
  • Clifton VL, Owens PC, Robinson PJ, Smith R. (1995) Identification and characterization of a corticotrophin-releasing hormone receptor in human placenta. Eur J Endocrinol 133(5):591-597.
  • Clifton VL, Read MA, Leitch IM, Boura ALA, Robinson PJ, Smith R. (1994) Corticotropin-releasing hormone causes vasodilatation in the human fetal-placental circulation. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 79(2):666-669.
  • Kay DJ, Clifton VL, Taylor JS, Boettcher B. (1993) Anti-sperm antibodies and semen profiles in reanastomosed men. Reprod Fertil Dev 5:135-139.
  • Clifton VL, Husband AJ, Kay DJ. (1992) Local immunity in the male reproductive tract. Immunol Cell Biol 70:301-307.
  • Husband AJ, Clifton VL. (1989) Role of intestinal immunization in urinary tract defense. Immunol Cell Biol 67(Pt 6):371-376.
  • Reviews
  • Clifton VL, Stark MJ, Osei-Kumah A & Hodyl NA (2012). The feto-placental unit, pregnancy pathology and impact on long-term maternal health. Placenta, 33, Suppl, S37-41
  • Clifton VL, Davies M, Moore V, Wright IM, Ali Z, Hodyl NA. (2012). Developmental Perturbation Induced by Maternal Asthma during Pregnancy: The Short- and Long-Term Impacts on Offspring. J Pregnancy. 2012;2012:741613. Epub 2012 Jul 8.
  • Hodyl NA, Stark MJ, Osei-Kumah A & Clifton VL (2011). Prenatal programming of the innate immune response following in-utero exposure to inflammation: a sexually dimorphic process? Expert Reviews in Clinical Immunology, 7(5), 579-592
  • Clifton VL (2010) Review: Sex and the human placenta: mediating differential strategies of fetal growth and survival. Placenta. 2010 Mar;31 Suppl:S33-9. Epub 2009 Dec 11.
  • Prescott SL & Clifton V. (2009) Asthma and pregnancy: emerging evidence of epigenetic interactions in utero. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol 9, 417-426.
  • Osei-Kumah, A, Hodyl, NA and Clifton VL (2008) Proteomics in Asthma Expert Rev in Clin Immunology
  • Murphy VE, Clifton VL, Gibson PG (2006) Asthma exacerbations during pregnancy: incidence and association with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Thorax 61:169-76.
  • Murphy VE, Smith R, Giles WB, Clifton VL (2006) Endocrine regulation of human fetal growth: the role of the mother, placenta and fetus. Endocr Rev 27:141-169.
  • Clifton VL 2006 (invited review) Maternal asthma during pregnancy and fetal outcomes: potential mechanisms and possible solutions. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol 6: 306-11.
  • Murphy VE, Gibson PG, Smith R, Clifton VL (2005) Asthma during pregnancy: mechanisms and treatment implications. Eur Respir J 25:731-50.
  • Clifton VL (2005) Sexually dimorphic effects of maternal asthma during pregnancy on placental glucocorticoid metabolism and fetal growth. Cell Tissue Res 322:63-71.
  • Clifton VL, Murphy VE (2004) Maternal asthma as a model for examining fetal sex-specific effects on maternal physiology and placental mechanisms that regulate human fetal growth. Placenta 25 Suppl A:S45-52.
  • Schwartz J, Revskoy S, Redei E, Clifton V, Smith R, Cherny R (2002) Corticotrophs and peptides. Arch Physiol Biochem 110:146-53.

  Book Chapters
  

  • Clifton VL, Smith B, Roy A, Osei-Kumah A, Hodyl NA, Stark MJ, Parange NH, & Saif Z. (2011) Asthma during pregnancy Published by Future Medicine (in press).
  • Murphy VE, Smith R, Giles WB & Clifton VL (2006) The role of the mother, placenta, and fetus in the control of fetal growth during human pregnancy IN "Perinatal Programming: Early Life Determinants of Adult Health and Disease", eds D Hodgson and C. Coe. p 3-17 Taylor and Francis, UK.
  • Smith R, Mesiano S, Nicholson R, Clifton V, Zakar T, Chan E-C, Bisits A & Giles W (2005) The Regulation of Human Parturition. In: Birth, Distress and Disease. Eds. Michael L Power, Jay Schulkin. Publisher: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UK pp77-90.
  • Smith R, Mesiano S, Nicholson R, Zakar T, Chan E-C, Bisits A, Clifton V, Giles W (2004). Control of the Length of Gestation - Lessons from Women. Preterm Birth. Eds. Bennet and Thornton. Publisher: Royal College Obstetrics Gynecology. pp13-27.
  • Smith R, Mesiano S, Clifton V, Chan E-C, Zakar T, Nicholson R, Giles W & Bisits A. (2003). The Pathway To Human Birth. Ed. Carlos Simón. Cuadernos de Medicina Reproductiva, Editorial Médica Panamericana (peer reviewed) Volume 9, Number 2.

• Professional Associations

  I am presently an Executive member of the International Federations of Placental Associations and assumed a number of duties with this Committee which included the co-ordination and implementation of the International Placental Meeting in Melbourne in 2002. I have been the Treasurer, then President Elect and now President of Endocrine Society of Australia (2004-present) which involves multiple administrative duties related to the running of the society. I am an Council member of the Developmental Origins of Adult Disease Society.

  I am a member of the following Societies:

  • Endocrine Society of Australia
  • Australian Society for Medical Research
  • International Federation of Placental Associations
  • Australian and New Zealand Placenta Research Association
  • Society of Gynecologic Investigation
  • Developmental Origins of Adult Disease
  • Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand

  
  I have been involved in the organisation of the First International Placenta Congress held in Sydney in 1994. I also assisted in the organisation of a local meeting, The Pacific Rim Preterm Labour congress in 1997. I have assisted in the running of a satellite conference in our unit, The Beach Babes Conference in 2000. I organized and ran an international satellite meeting in October 2002, Human Pregnancy: Implantation to delivery at The Mothers and Babies Research Centre. I have been part of the local and international organizing committee for all the International Federation of Placental Associations since 2002 and I am committed to being involved in the organization of these conferences until 2009.

• Community Engagement

  I have been involved in Science Promotion Committee at the University of Newcastle where we organised fund raising for plays to be presented to school children on science promotion. I have been on a number of television programs such as The Today show, Channel 9 and Prime news to discuss my research into asthma and pregnancy. I have also discussed the effect of asthma on pregnancy on ABC National Radio and also in our local newspaper, The Newcastle Morning Herald and the Advertiser. I have been spokesperson in the Medical Observer for the use of the asthma drug, budesonide to promote its use during pregnancy. I have been a driving force for the promotion of the care of pregnant asthmatic women in collaboration with the NSW government department of Health and Asthma NSW which resulted in a state wide campaign in September 2006 with the production and state wide distribution of pamphlets for health professionals and pregnant women. I am currently a director on the Board of Asthma SA (2008-present) with a continued focus on improving the care of asthmatic women during pregnancy. I am also a member of Asthma Australia Medical and Scientific Advisory (2008-present) Committee.

Entry last updated: Thursday, 14 Nov 2013