Sarah Robertson (academic)

Last updated

Sarah Robertson
AO FAA FAHMS
Alma mater University of Adelaide
Scientific career
InstitutionsUniversity of Adelaide

Sarah Anne Robertson is an Australian biologist who is a fellow of both the Australian Academy of Science and Australian Academy for Health and Medical Sciences, [1] [2] and Professor of Reproductive Immunology at University of Adelaide, Australia, and Director of the Robinson Research Institute. [3] She was an NHMRC fellow for more than 15 years.

Contents

Career and research interests

Robertson was ranked as one of South Australia's most influential women. [4] Robertson’s career involves research on reproductive health, pregnancy, and immunology, with three main themes. [5]

Robertson's work has described a process whereby if male sperm is not of sufficient quality, the female will not invest her reproductive processes in that particular sperm. This may reflect the evolutionary biology of pregnancy, and processes where the female body decides if the body is ready for pregnancy. [7] Her work has included reproductive health and preparing for successful pregnancies by 3–6 months by not using birth control to prepare for healthier babies. [8]

Early career

Robertson's career is notable for starting her early life a young parent, [9] [10] and then continuing on to win multiple prizes, and then become a fellow of two of Australia academies. [11] Robertson was also the first RD Wright Fellow to have not had overseas lab experience. Her overseas experience was obtained via visiting fellowships, and making overseas contacts and collaborations through conferences and workshops. [11]

Selected publications

As at August 2019, Robertson had an H-Index of 66 and over 13,000 citations. [12]

Awards, honours and recognition

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seminal vesicles</span> Pair of simple tubular glands

The seminal vesicles are a pair of convoluted tubular accessory glands that lie behind the urinary bladder of male mammals. They secrete fluid that largely composes the semen.

Steven Krilis is Professor of Immunology Allergies and Infectious diseases at the University of New South Wales and St George Hospital in Sydney, Australia. He is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glycodelin</span> Mammalian protein found in Homo sapiens

Glycodelin(GD) also known as human placental protein-14 (PP-14)progestogen-associated endometrial protein (PAEP) or pregnancy-associated endometrial alpha-2 globulin is a glycoprotein that inhibits cell immune function and plays an essential role in the pregnancy process. In humans is encoded by the PAEP gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne O'Garra</span> British immunologist

Anne O'Garra FRS FMedSci is a British immunologist who has made important discoveries on the mechanism of action of Interleukin 10.

Sir Marc Feldmann,, is an Australian-educated British immunologist. He is a professor at the University of Oxford and a senior research fellow at Somerville College, Oxford.

Reproductive immunology refers to a field of medicine that studies interactions between the immune system and components related to the reproductive system, such as maternal immune tolerance towards the fetus, or immunological interactions across the blood-testis barrier. The concept has been used by fertility clinics to explain fertility problems, recurrent miscarriages and pregnancy complications observed when this state of immunological tolerance is not successfully achieved. Immunological therapy is a method for treating many cases of previously "unexplained infertility" or recurrent miscarriage.

Christopher Carl Goodnow is an immunology researcher and the current executive director of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. He holds the Bill and Patricia Ritchie Foundation Chair and is a Conjoint Professor in the faculty of medicine at UNSW Sydney. He holds dual Australian and US citizenship.

Immune tolerance in pregnancy or maternal immune tolerance is the immune tolerance shown towards the fetus and placenta during pregnancy. This tolerance counters the immune response that would normally result in the rejection of something foreign in the body, as can happen in cases of spontaneous abortion. It is studied within the field of reproductive immunology.

Most women can continue to engage in sexual activity during pregnancy, including sexual intercourse. Most research suggests that during pregnancy both sexual desire and frequency of sexual relations decrease. In context of this overall decrease in desire, some studies indicate a second-trimester increase, preceding a decrease during the third trimester.

Ashley Moffett, is a Professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Cambridge specialising in Reproductive Immunology, and a fellow of King's College, Cambridge. She became a fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 2015, and a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Stow</span> Australian scientist

Jennifer Lea Stow is deputy director (research), NHMRC Principal Research Fellow and head of the Protein Trafficking and Inflammation laboratory at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB), The University of Queensland, Australia. She received a PhD from Monash University in Melbourne in 1982, postdoctoral training at Yale University School of Medicine (US) in the Department of Cell Biology. Her first faculty position was as an assistant professor at Harvard University in the Renal Unit, Departments of Medicine and Pathology at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akiko Iwasaki</span> Immunobiologist

Akiko Iwasaki is a Sterling Professor of Immunobiology and Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at Yale University. She is also a principal investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Her research interests include innate immunity, autophagy, inflammasomes, sexually transmitted infections, herpes simplex virus, human papillomavirus, respiratory virus infections, influenza infection, T cell immunity, commensal bacteria, COVID-19, and long COVID.

David Albert Cooper was an Australian HIV/AIDS researcher, immunologist, professor at the University of New South Wales, and the director of the Kirby Institute. He and Professor Ron Penny diagnosed the first case of HIV in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Placental microbiome</span>

The placental microbiome is the nonpathogenic, commensal bacteria claimed to be present in a healthy human placenta and is distinct from bacteria that cause infection and preterm birth in chorioamnionitis. Until recently, the healthy placenta was considered to be a sterile organ but now genera and species have been identified that reside in the basal layer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uterine microbiome</span>

The uterine microbiome refers to the community of commensal, nonpathogenic microorganisms—including bacteria, viruses, and yeasts/fungi—present in a healthy uterus, as well as in the amniotic fluid and endometrium. These microorganisms coexist in a specific environment within the uterus, playing a vital role in maintaining reproductive health. In the past, the uterus was believed to be a sterile environment, free of any microbial life. Recent advancements in microbiological research, particularly the improvement of 16S rRNA gene sequencing techniques, have challenged this long-held belief. These advanced techniques have made it possible to detect bacteria and other microorganisms present in very low numbers. Using this procedure that allows the detection of bacteria that cannot be cultured outside the body, studies of microbiota present in the uterus are expected to increase.

Satish Kumar Gupta is an Indian immunologist and an Emeritus Scientist at the National Institute of Immunology. Known for his research in reproductive immunology, Gupta is an elected fellow of all the three Indian science academies viz. Indian Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, India and Indian National Science Academy He is also a J. C. Bose Fellow of the Department of Biotechnology and an elected fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards for his contributions to Medical Sciences in 1997.

Anne Kelso is an Australian biomedical researcher specialising in immunology and influenza. She is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Government's National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

Norbert Gleicher is an American obstetrician-gynecologist active in obstetrical practice, in vitro fertilization, reproductive endocrinology, and reproductive immunology. He is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FACOG) and the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and currently serves as president, medical director and chief scientist of the Center for Human Reproduction (CHR) in New York City, a clinical fertility center that he founded in 1981. Simultaneously, he is President of the Foundation for Reproductive Medicine, a not-for-profit research foundation. Gleicher maintains additional academic appointments at Rockefeller University, and Medical University of Vienna.

Barbara Anne Croy is a Canadian reproductive immunologist and professor emerita in Biomedical and Molecular Sciences at Queen's University. From 2004 until 2016, Croy was a Canada Research Chair in Reproduction, Development and Sexual Function. In 2017, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Her research focus is on mice pregnancy and natural killer cells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Mackay</span> Australian scientist

Laura K. Mackay is an internationally-recognised immunologist and Professor of Immunology at the University of Melbourne. Mackay is the Theme Leader in Immunology and Laboratory Head at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity. In 2022, she was the youngest ever Fellow elected to the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.

References

  1. ↑ "Sarah Robertson — ASN Events". esa-srb-2013.m.asnevents.com.au. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  2. ↑ "sarah.robertson@adelaide.edu.au". www.science.org.au. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  3. 1 2 "$1.2 million for community-led endometriosis research and support". Mirage News. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  4. ↑ "SA's most influential women". www.adelaidenow.com.au. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  5. ↑ "AMSS Research opportunities" (PDF).
  6. ↑ "Experimental Therapeutics". Home. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  7. ↑ White, Cassie (23 June 2010). "'Choosy' women set high standards for sperm". ABC News. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  8. ↑ "Want a baby? Practice makes perfect". www.couriermail.com.au. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  9. ↑ "Prof Sarah Robertson - Envisage". envisagemyfuture.com. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  10. ↑ "STEM Careers Are Harder On New Parents Than We Thought, Study Finds". Time. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  11. 1 2 "Prof Sarah Robertson - Envisage". envisagemyfuture.com. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  12. ↑ "Sarah A. Robertson - Google Scholar Citations". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  13. ↑ Robertson, Sarah A.; Chin, Peck Yin; Glynn, Danielle J.; Thompson, Jeremy G. (2011). "Peri-conceptual cytokines--setting the trajectory for embryo implantation, pregnancy and beyond". American Journal of Reproductive Immunology. 66 Suppl 1: 2–10. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0897.2011.01039.x . ISSN   1600-0897. PMID   21726333.
  14. ↑ Robertson, Sarah A. (1 October 2005). "Seminal plasma and male factor signalling in the female reproductive tract". Cell and Tissue Research. 322 (1): 43–52. doi:10.1007/s00441-005-1127-3. ISSN   1432-0878. PMID   15909166. S2CID   25141075.
  15. ↑ Bromfield, John J.; Schjenken, John E.; Chin, Peck Y.; Care, Alison S.; Jasper, Melinda J.; Robertson, Sarah A. (11 February 2014). "Maternal tract factors contribute to paternal seminal fluid impact on metabolic phenotype in offspring". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 111 (6): 2200–2205. Bibcode:2014PNAS..111.2200B. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1305609111 . ISSN   1091-6490. PMC   3926084 . PMID   24469827.
  16. ↑ Robertson, Sarah A.; Jasper, Melinda J.; Care, Alison S.; Chin, Peck Y.; Schjenken, John E.; Bromfield, John J. (11 February 2014). "Maternal tract factors contribute to paternal seminal fluid impact on metabolic phenotype in offspring". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 111 (6): 2200–2205. Bibcode:2014PNAS..111.2200B. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1305609111 . ISSN   0027-8424. PMC   3926084 . PMID   24469827.
  17. ↑ "Dr Sarah Robertson". AIPS. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  18. ↑ "The American Society for Reproductive Immunology - Herr Award". theasri.org. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  19. ↑ "Sarah A Robertson — ASN Events". esa-srb-2013.m.asnevents.com.au. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  20. ↑ "Robinson Research Institute's 2013 Annual Report". Issuu. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  21. ↑ "SRF Reproduction" (PDF).
  22. ↑ "Louis Waller lecture 2015: Parenting begins before conception". VARTA. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  23. ↑ "Adelaide University researchers made fellows of the Australian Academy of Science - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". ABC News. 22 May 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  24. ↑ "Professor Sarah Anne Robertson". Australian Honours Search Facility. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.