Sally Dunwoodie

Professor Sally Dunwoodie AO FAHMS
Personal details
Born	Sally Lewers Dunwoodie
Nationality	Australian
Occupation	Embryologist, geneticist

Sally Lewers Dunwoodie AO is an Australian scientist, specialising in genetic birth defects. ^[1]

Dunwoodie became an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2024 "For distinguished service to medical research as an embryologist and geneticist, particularly in the field of fetal and neonatal heart disease". ^[2]

Early life and education

Dunwoodie attended Queenwood School for Girls in Sydney, Australia, graduating in 1981. ^[3] She studied a Bachelor of Science with Honours at the University of Sydney. ^[4] She researched the genetics of muscle development and graduated with a PhD from the Children's Medical Research Institute. ^[4]

Dunwoodie was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Institute for Medical Research in London from 1996-1997, and then at the Human Frontiers Scientific Program from 1998-1999. From 2003 to 2007, she was a Senior Research Fellow at the Pfizer Foundation in Australia. ^[5]

Scientific career

Dunwoodie completed postdoctoral training at the National Institute for Medical Research before starting work at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in 2000. ^[6] In 2022, Dunwoodie became the Deputy Director of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute. ^[4]

Awards

• Officer of the Order of Australia, 2024 ^{[2] [5]}
• Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, 2019 ^[7]
• Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Scientific Research (2018) ^[2]
• NSW Premier's Prize for Excellence in Medical Biological Sciences (2017) ^[2]
• Australian Financial Review Women of Influence (2015) ^{[8] [1]}
• Research Excellence Award for the Top Ranked Project Grant, NHMRC, 2019 ^[5]
• President's Medal, Australian and New Zealand Society for Cell and Developmental Biology, 2018, and Emerging Leader Award, 2010 ^[5]
• Finalist, New South Wales Premier's Woman of the Year Award, 2016 ^[9]
• NHMRC Top 10 Research Projects Award, 2014 ^[5]
• 100 Women of Influence Award, Australian Financial Review and Westpac, 2014 ^[5]
• Top 100 Thinkers in Sydney, Sydney Morning Herald, 2012. ^[5]

Personal life

Dunwoodie has two children. ^[2]

Selected publications

• S. L. Dunwoodie (2009), "The role of hypoxia in development of the Mammalian embryo", Developmental cell , 17(6), pp. 755–773. ^[10]
• J. O. Szot, C. Campagnolo, Y. Cao, K. R. Iyer, H. Cuny, T. Drysdale, J. A. Flores-Daboub, W. Bi, L. Westerfield, P. Liu, T. Ngong Leung, K. W. Choy, G. Chapman, R. Xiao, V. M,. Siu, S. L. Dunwoodie (2020), "Bi-allelic Mutations in NADSYN1 Cause Multiple Organ Defects and Expand the Genotypic Spectrum of Congenital NAD Deficiency Disorders", American Journal of Human Genetics, 106(1), pp. 129–136. ^[11]
• S. L. Dunwoodie, D. Henrique, S. M. Harrison, R. S. P. Beddington (1997), "Mouse Dll3: a novel divergent Delta gene which may complement the function of other Delta homologues during early pattern formation in the mouse embryo", Development, 124(16), pp. 3065–3076. ^[12]
• G. Chapman, D. B. Sparrow, E. Kremmer, S. L. Dunwoodie (2011), "Notch inhibition by the ligand Delta-Like 3 defines the mechanism of abnormal vertebral segmentation in spondylocostal dysostosis", Human Molecular Genetics, 20(5), pp. 905–916. ^[13]

References

1. Stewart, Claire (16 July 2015). "Women of influence: How embryologist Sally Dunwoodie wins by 'striving to fail'". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
2. "Order of Australia awarded to Institute's Prof Sally Dunwoodie - Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute". The Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
3. "Queenwood - Professor Sally Dunwoodie". Queenwood School. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
4. "Professor Sally Dunwoodie - Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute". The Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute. Archived from the original on 18 March 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
5. "Australian Honours Search Facility". honours.pmc.gov.au. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
6. "External Speaker - Professor Sally Dunwoodie". Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
7. "Professor Sally Dunwoodie - AAHMS". Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. 9 October 2019. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
8. "Prof. Sally Dunwoodie - AFR Women of Influence" . Retrieved 1 July 2024.
9. "Sally Dunwoodie — ASN Events". hcm-2017.p.asnevents.com.au. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
10. Dunwoodie, Sally L. (December 2009). "The Role of Hypoxia in Development of the Mammalian Embryo". Developmental Cell. 17 (6): 755–773. doi:10.1016/j.devcel.2009.11.008. ISSN   1534-5807. PMID   20059947.
11. Szot, Justin O.; Campagnolo, Carla; Cao, Ye; Iyer, Kavitha R.; Cuny, Hartmut; Drysdale, Thomas; Flores-Daboub, Josue A.; Bi, Weimin; Westerfield, Lauren; Liu, Pengfei; Leung, Tse Ngong; Choy, Kwong Wai; Chapman, Gavin; Xiao, Rui; Siu, Victoria M. (January 2020). "Bi-allelic Mutations in NADSYN1 Cause Multiple Organ Defects and Expand the Genotypic Spectrum of Congenital NAD Deficiency Disorders". The American Journal of Human Genetics. 106 (1): 129–136. doi:10.1016/j.ajhg.2019.12.006. ISSN   0002-9297. PMC   7042491 . PMID   31883644.
12. Dunwoodie, Sally L.; Henrique, Domingos; Harrison, Stephen M.; Beddington, Rosa S. P. (15 August 1997). "Mouse Dll3 : a novel divergent Delta gene which may complement the function of other Delta homologues during early pattern formation in the mouse embryo" . Development. 124 (16): 3065–3076. doi:10.1242/dev.124.16.3065. ISSN   0950-1991. PMID   9272948.
13. Chapman, Gavin; Sparrow, Duncan B.; Kremmer, Elisabeth; Dunwoodie, Sally L. (7 December 2010). "Notch inhibition by the ligand Delta-Like 3 defines the mechanism of abnormal vertebral segmentation in spondylocostal dysostosis" . Human Molecular Genetics. 20 (5): 905–916. doi:10.1093/hmg/ddq529. ISSN   1460-2083. PMID   21147753.