Staff Profile
Dr Vanessa Murphy
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
School of Medicine and Public Health
EditCareer Summary
Biography
Dr Vanessa Murphy is a postdoctoral research scientist investigating the characteristics, mechanisms and consequences of asthma exacerbations during pregnancy and their health impact on both the mother and the baby. She began in this field full-time in 1999, with her PhD studies on the effects of maternal asthma on placental function and fetal development winning numerous awards, nationally and internationally. In 2004, with a competitive 3 year fellowship from the Hunter Medical Research Institute, she commenced her post-doctoral studies with the Centre for Asthma and Respiratory Diseases, under the supervision of Prof Peter Gibson, where she is continuing to build on her expertise in the area of asthma exacerbations and airway inflammation during pregnancy. Since 2006, Dr Murphy has pursued her research career part-time, and has taken three significant breaks from her career while having children. In 2007 she received her first project grant from the NHMRC, which investigated the mechanisms, characteristics and consequences of viral infections on asthma exacerbations during pregnancy, and she is currently funded by a part-time NHMRC fellowship which was also awarded in 2007. She is involved as an associate investigator on the NHMRC funded “Managing asthma in pregnancy” (MAP) randomised controlled trial, which successfully reduced the rate of severe exacerbations in pregnancy by managing treatment changes with the use of an objective marker of airway inflammation. This resulted in a high impact publication in Lancet in 2011. With pilot funding from HMRI, this study has now been extended to a birth cohort follow-up study, investigating the links between maternal asthma in pregnancy and the development of asthma in childhood, in collaboration with Paediatrician A/Prof Joerg Mattes and Prof Peter Gibson. A further highlight of recent years has been working on an exciting collaboration with the world leader in the field of asthma during pregnancy, Prof Michael Schatz and colleagues in San Diego, USA. Together, we have completed the first systematic review and meta-analysis examining the risks of adverse perinatal outcomes in women with asthma, which has resulted in a publication in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 2011. Dr Murphy has been invited to write reviews several times, and this year was invited to speak at the European Respiratory Society Conference in Amsterdam in September on the management of asthma during pregnancy, demonstrating her recognition internationally in the field of asthma during pregnancy.
Qualifications
- PhD, University of Newcastle, 03/09/2004
- Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry (Honours), University of Wollongong, 12/05/1999
Research
Research keywords
Research expertise
Vanessa's research expertise is in the area of asthma during pregnancy, covering the effects of asthma on pregnancy outcomes, the management of asthma during pregnancy, and the mechanisms of viral infection in pregnancy.
Languages
Fields of Research
| Code | Description | Percentage |
|---|
| 110299 | Cardiovascular Medicine And Haematology Not Elsewhere Classified | 35 |
| 111400 | Paediatrics And Reproductive Medicine | 35 |
| 160599 | Policy And Administration Not Elsewhere Classified | 30 |
Appointments
Australian Part-time Research Fellowship
National Health & Medical Research Council (Australia) | 01/12/2007 |
Awards
Research Award.
| 2005 | Ian Potter Foundation Travel Grant
Ian Potter Foundation (Australia)
|
|---|
| 2005 | Young Scientist Sponsorship
European Respiratory Society (Denmark)
|
|---|
| 2004 | New Investigator Award
Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (Australia)
|
|---|
| 2003 | Elsevier Science New Investigator Award
International Federation of Placenta Associations (Germany)
|
|---|
| 2002 | Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR) Research Award
ASMR (Australia)
This award allowed me to travel to San Diego to complete a 3 month collaborative project with Ferring Research Insitute using novel proteomic techniques. |
|---|
| 2002 | Best Oral Presentation by a Student
Fetal and Neonatal Physiological Society (Czech Republic)
|
|---|
| 2001 | Medibank Private Student Researcher Award
Australian Society for Medical Research (Australia)
|
|---|
EditPublications
No publications.
EditGrants and Funding
Summary
| Number of grants | 25 |
|---|
| Total funding | $1,327,601 |
|---|
For project grants received where the lead institution is other than the University of Newcastle, details are shown in italics.
- Indicates that the researcher may be seeking students for this project.
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
2013 (4 grants)
Impact of fractional exhaled nitric oxide-based management of pregnancies with asthma on perinatal and infant outcomes $23,810
Funding Body: John Hunter Hospital Charitable Trust Fund
Inflammometry-based management of asthma in pregnancy for the prevention of preterm birth: the iMAP study$20,000
Funding Body: Hunter Medical Research Institute
| Project Team |
|---|
| Doctor Vanessa Murphy |
| Scheme | Role |
|---|
| Near Miss | Chief Investigator |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
|---|
| $20,000 | 2013 | 2013 |
| GNo:G1300695 |
Inflammometry-based management of asthma in pregnancy for the prevention of preterm birth: the iMAP study$20,000
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
Effect of better asthma management in pregnancy on antiviral responses, atopy and airways inflammation in early childhood$10,000
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
2012 (2 grants)
Body plethysmograph respiratory function system$33,076
Funding Body: NHMRC (National Health & Medical Research Council)
The Growing into Asthma Study: Wheezing prevalence and markers of airways inflammation in preschoolers born to mothers in asthma exacerbations in pregnancy$25,000
Funding Body: Hunter Medical Research Institute
2011 (1 grants)
Lung Function (Spirometry) testing and sputum induction equipment - establishing 3 new clinical workstations. Medgraphics CPFS/d USB spirometer with breezesuite software (x3). Laptop computer (x3). Ul$10,000
Funding Body: NHMRC (National Health & Medical Research Council)
2010 (1 grants)
Real time PCR machine (Mastercycler ep realplex2 from Epprndorf)
$34,000
Funding Body: NHMRC (National Health & Medical Research Council)
2009 (2 grants)
Growing into asthma: A birth cohort study to investigate the prenatal and development origins of asthma$24,800
Funding Body: Hunter Medical Research Institute
Growing into asthma: a birth cohort study to investigate the prenatal and development origins of asthma$13,500
Funding Body: Hunter Medical Research Institute
2008 (2 grants)
Becton Dickinson high throughout sampler for the FACSCanto II cytometry system$35,000
Funding Body: NHMRC (National Health & Medical Research Council)
PULSE Education Prize$4,000
Funding Body: Hunter Medical Research Institute
| Project Team |
|---|
| Doctor Vanessa Murphy |
| Scheme | Role |
|---|
| PULSE Education Prize | Chief Investigator |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
|---|
| $4,000 | 2008 | 2008 |
| GNo:G0188538 |
2007 (6 grants)
Viral infection and exacerbations of asthma during pregnancy: characteristics, mechanisms and consequences$447,750
Funding Body: NHMRC (National Health & Medical Research Council)
| Project Team |
|---|
| Doctor Vanessa Murphy |
| Scheme | Role |
|---|
| Project Grant | Chief Investigator |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
|---|
| $447,750 | 2007 | 2009 |
| GNo:G0186434 |
Viral infection and exacerbations of asthma during pregnancy: characteristics, mechanisms and consequences$137,000
Funding Body: NHMRC (National Health & Medical Research Council)
| Project Team |
|---|
| Doctor Vanessa Murphy |
| Scheme | Role |
|---|
| Training (Postdoctoral) Fellowships - Australian Part-time Research Fellowship | Chief Investigator |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
|---|
| $137,000 | 2007 | 2010 |
| GNo:G0186778 |
Nitric Oxide Monitoring System (NIOX)$45,000
Funding Body: NHMRC (National Health & Medical Research Council)
| Project Team |
|---|
| Conjoint Professor Peter Gibson, Conjoint Associate Professor Vicki Clifton, Conjoint Professor Warwick Giles, Emeritus Professor Michael Hensley, Doctor Vanessa Murphy, Conjoint Associate Professor Peter Wark, Doctor Vanessa McDonald, Associate Professor Jodie Simpson, Conjoint Associate Professor Bruce Whitehead, Professor Paul Foster, Professor Phil Hansbro, Associate Professor Lisa Wood |
| Scheme | Role |
|---|
| Equipment Grant | Investigator |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
|---|
| $45,000 | 2007 | 2007 |
| GNo:G0188193 |
Class II biohazard containment hood and carbon dioxide cell culture incubator$20,000
Funding Body: NHMRC (National Health & Medical Research Council)
Hewlett Packard 7890 series gas chromatograph with accessories$20,000
Funding Body: NHMRC (National Health & Medical Research Council)
| Project Team |
|---|
| Associate Professor Lisa Wood, Conjoint Associate Professor Peter Wark, Conjoint Professor Peter Gibson, Associate Professor Jodie Simpson, Doctor Vanessa Murphy, Professor Paul Foster, Professor Phil Hansbro, Conjoint Associate Professor Vicki Clifton, Professor Clare Collins, Conjoint Professor Wayne Smith, Professor John Attia |
| Scheme | Role |
|---|
| Equipment Grant | Investigator |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
|---|
| $20,000 | 2007 | 2007 |
| GNo:G0188191 |
American Thoracic Society Conference, San Francisco, 18/5/2007 - 23/5/2007$2,500
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
| Project Team |
|---|
| Doctor Vanessa Murphy |
| Scheme | Role |
|---|
| Travel Grant | Chief Investigator |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
|---|
| $2,500 | 2007 | 2007 |
| GNo:G0187767 |
2006 (2 grants)
The relationship between eosinophilic inflammation, viral infection and severe asthma exacerbations during pregnancy$50,000
Funding Body: Asthma Foundation of New South Wales
Viral infections and asthma exacerbations during pregnancy: characteristics, mechanisms and consequences$19,100
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
2005 (2 grants)
American Thoracic Society Conference, 20 to 25 May 2005$2,000
Funding Body: Ian Potter Foundation
| Project Team |
|---|
| Doctor Vanessa Murphy |
| Scheme | Role |
|---|
| Travel Grant | Chief Investigator |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
|---|
| $2,000 | 2005 | 2005 |
| GNo:G0185081 |
American Thoracic Society Annual Scientific Conference, 20-25 May 2005$1,785
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
| Project Team |
|---|
| Doctor Vanessa Murphy |
| Scheme | Role |
|---|
| Travel Grant | Chief Investigator |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
|---|
| $1,785 | 2005 | 2005 |
| GNo:G0185399 |
2004 (1 grants)
Respiratory Medicine$269,000
Funding Body: Hunter Medical Research Institute
2003 (1 grants)
Identification of novel sex-specific factors derived from the human fetus.$7,375
Funding Body: NHMRC (National Health & Medical Research Council)
| Project Team |
|---|
| Doctor Vanessa Murphy |
| Scheme | Role |
|---|
| Travelling Award for Research Training | Chief Investigator |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
|---|
| $7,375 | 2003 | 2003 |
| GNo:G0182186 |
2000 (1 grants)
What causes preterm labour in asthmatic pregnancies? The role of placental 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 and corticotropin releasing hormone$52,905
Funding Body: NHMRC (National Health & Medical Research Council)
| Project Team |
|---|
| Doctor Vanessa Murphy |
| Scheme | Role |
|---|
| Dora Lush Postgraduate Research Scholarship | Chief Investigator |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
|---|
| $52,905 | 2000 | 2002 |
| GNo:G0181963 |
EditResearch Supervision
| Number of current supervisions | 1 |
|---|
| Total current UoN Masters EFTSL | 0.1 |
|---|
For supervisions undertaken at an institution other that the University of Newcastle, details are shown in italics, and the institution name is listed below the program name.
Current Supervision
| Commenced | Proposed
Completion | Program | Supervisor Type | Research Title |
|---|
| 2011 | 2013 | M Philosophy (Nursing) | Co-Supervisor | Midwives Knowledge, Understanding and Percieved Role in Caring For Women with Asthma |
Past Supervision
| Year | Program | Supervisor Type | Research Title |
|---|
| 2013 | PhD (Medicine) | Co-Supervisor | Investigation of the Immune Mechanisms in Pregnancy and Asthma Leading to Increased Susceptibility and Disease Severity to Respiratory Virus Infections |
