RESEARCHER PROFILE
Professor Alice Rumbold (Filmed November 2023)
Perinatal epidemiologist & Co-Theme Leader of
SAHMRI Women and Kids
South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute &
Research Leader, Robinson Research Institute
University of Adelaide
Adelaide, Australia
Professor Alice Rumbold is Theme Leader of SAHMRI Women and Kids, managing a multidisciplinary research team focussed on improving health outcomes for women, babies and families. She also holds an affiliate position as a Research Leader within the Robinson Research Institute at the University of Adelaide.
An epidemiologist and health services researcher, she is internationally renowned for her leadership of large-scale clinical trials, epidemiological studies and systematic review activities to improve perinatal and reproductive health care. She is passionate about improving health outcomes for women and babies, particularly those experiencing vulnerability. Her current research interests include preterm birth, breastfeeding, human milk banking and infertility.
She has held continuous NHMRC funding as a CI since 2007, totalling >$21.2m across 13 grants, including a NHMRC Career Development Fellowship. Her research has generated significant publications in top-ranking journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet Global Health, British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Human Reproduction and American Journal of Epidemiology, including 11 papers with over 100 citations.
Professor Rumbold’s current research is primarily focused on improving breastfeeding outcomes in preterm babies. She runs several clinical trials that aim to improve breastfeeding outcomes in premature babies, a vulnerable group that is known to have difficulties with establishing breastfeeding. Alice’s research tests new interventions to improve breastfeeding outcomes in these babies, as breast milk is particularly crucial for their development.
Professor Rumbold finds motivation and inspiration from the families participating in her research. These families often participate while knowing that they may not receive direct benefits from the research. She is also driven by the potential to have lifelong impacts on health and opportunities by improving outcomes in the early months of life.
Apart from research, Professor Rumbold loves music. She enjoys listening to it, playing it, and attending live music events. She is a keen cellist and pianist and was previously involved with the Darwin Symphony Orchestra.
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World-first clinical trial improves patient outcomes for kidney transplants (2023)
A world-first clinical trial conducted at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) and at hospitals across Australia and New Zealand has identified the best fluid treatment to reduce the risk of patients requiring dialysis after a kidney transplant.
Around one in three people who receive a kidney transplant suffer delayed graft function, which means the transplant doesn’t work immediately and they require dialysis.
The lead-author of the study, was Royal Adelaide Hospital Nephrologist and University of Adelaide researcher, Dr Michael Collins.
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Biomarkers for early sepsis detection
Dr Gabrielle Briggs is a biomedical scientist dedicated to finding smarter, faster ways to diagnose and treat life threatening complications in critically ill patients. Dr Briggs established a research laboratory embedded within the John Hunter Hospital – one of the busiest major trauma centres in NSW. Dr Briggs works alongside surgeons, intensivists, and pathologists to turn complex clinical problems into practical research solutions. Her work spans two major programs: developing a rapid diagnostic test to detect bacterial infections in blood before sepsis takes hold, and exploring mitochondrial transplantation as a novel therapy to rescue injured tissues after trauma and ischaemia.
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Engineering bacteria to detect colorectal cancer cells
An international team of researchers from Adelaide and the United States has engineered bacteria capable of detecting mutated DNA released from colorectal cancer cells, opening the door to faster disease detection.
