Dr Alison Care
Dr. Alison Care is an NHMRC CJ Martin Research Fellow at the Robinson Research Institute. Alison completed a Bachelor of Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology with Honours at the University of South Australia in 2004. She subsequently completed her PhD with Professor Sarah Robertson at the University of Adelaide, where she investigated the role of the macrophage in early pregnancy success.
Following this, Alison moved to Edmonton in Canada for a period of 5 years, where she took a position as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alberta, under the supervision of Dr. Sandra Davidge. Here, Alison was funded by competitive Canadian fellowships from The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and Alberta-Innovates Health Solutions. Alison developed high-level techniques and expertise in vascular function research. She began to investigate the cause of pregnancy complications and the long term health impact these complications can have for the mother and her offspring.
Alison then received the prestigious CJ Martin postdoctoral fellowship from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. She has since returned to Australia, where she is currently investigating the pathophysiological mechanisms underpinning pregnancy complications.
My Research
My research in Vascular Physiology and Immunology of pregnancy investigates:
Maternal immune regulation of vascular adaptations during pregnancy, with a particular focus on uterine artery function and placental development
The effects of a complicated pregnancy on the long-term cardiovascular health of offspring (Developmental Origins of Health and Disease), as well as the impact on maternal health post-partum
Appointments
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 - 2018 | NHMRC CJ Martin Fellow | University of Adelaide |
| 2012 - 2016 | Postdoctoral Research Fellow | University of Alberta |
Awards and Achievements
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Nomination for the University of Alberta Award for Outstanding Mentorship in Undergraduate Research | University of Alberta | ||
| 2016 | MedStar Award for best research publication in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry | University of Alberta | ||
| 2014 | Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health, Travel Award, National Competition | Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR | ||
| 2014 | Women and Children’s Health Research Institute Travel Award | The University of Alberta | ||
| 2014 | Winner, Poster Presentation | Society for Gynecologic Investigation | ||
| 2013 | 1st Place Oral Presentation, Postdoctoral Fellow category | Women and Children’s Research Institute Research Day | ||
| 2013 | Western Perinatal Research Meeting (Best Poster Presentation) | |||
| 2013 | Women and Children’s Health Research Institute Research Day |
Language Competencies
| Language | Competency |
|---|---|
| English | Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review |
Education
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of South Australia | Australia | Bachelor of Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology with Honours | |
| University of Adelaide | Australia | Doctor of Philosophy |
Postgraduate Training
| Date | Title | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graduate Certificate in Science and Technology Commercialisation | University of Adelaide | Australia |
Journals
| Date | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Morton,JS, Care,AS, Davidge,ST, 2017, Mechanisms of Uterine Artery Dysfunction in Pregnancy Complications, Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, - |
| 2016 | Care,A, Sung,M, Panahi,S, Gragasin,F, Dyck,J, Davidge,S, Bourque,S, 2016, Perinatal resveratrol supplementation to spontaneously hypertensive rat dams mitigates the development of hypertension in adult offspring, Hypertension, 67, 5, 1038-1044 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.115.06793 |
| 2015 | Care,A, Bourque,S, Morton,J, Hjartarson,E, Davidge,S, 2015, Effect of advanced maternal age on pregnancy outcomes and vascular function in the rat, Hypertension, 65, 6, 1324-1330 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.115.05167 |
| 2014 | Bromfield,J, Schjenken,J, Chin,P, Care,A, Jasper,M, Robertson,S, 2014, Maternal tract factors contribute to paternal seminal fluid impact on metabolic phenotype in offspring, PNAS, 111, 6, 2200-2205 10.1073/pnas.1305609111 |
| 2014 | Care,A, Ingman,W, Moldenhauer,L, Jasper,M, Robertson,S, 2014, Ovarian steroid hormone-regulated uterine remodeling occurs independently of macrophages in mice, Biology of Reproduction, 91, 3, 60-1-60-12 10.1095/biolreprod.113.116509 |
| 2013 | Care,A, Diener,K, Jasper,M, Brown,H, Ingman,W, Robertson,S, 2013, Macrophages regulate corpus luteum development during embryo implantation in mice, Journal of Clinical Investigation, 123, 8, 3472-3487 10.1172/JCI60561 |
| 2011 | Jasper,M, Care,A, Sullivan,B, Ingman,W, Aplin,J, Robertson,S, 2011, Macrophage-derived LIF and IL1B regulate alpha(1,2)fucosyltransferase 2 (Fut2) expression in mouse uterine epithelial cells during early pregnancy, Biology of Reproduction, 84, 1, 179-188 10.1095/biolreprod.110.085399 |
| 2010 | Care,A, Jasper,M, Ingman,W, Robertson,S, 2010, An essential role for macrophages in corpus luteum function and early pregnancy maintenance, JOURNAL OF REPRODUCTIVE IMMUNOLOGY, 86, 1, 55-55 10.1016/j.jri.2010.06.115 |
| 2010 | Robertson,S, Christiaens,I, Dorian,C, Zaragoza,D, Care,A, Banks,A, Olson,D, 2010, Interleukin-6 is an essential determinant of on-time parturition in the mouse, Endocrinology, 151, 8, 3996-4006 10.1210/en.2010-0063 |
| 2009 | Robertson,S, Guerin,L, Bromfield,J, Branson,K, Ahlstrom,A, Care,A, 2009, Seminal fluid drives expansion of the CD4(+)CD25(+) T regulatory cell pool and induces tolerance to paternal alloantigens in mice, Biology of Reproduction, 80, 5, 1036-1045 10.1095/biolreprod.108.074658 |
| 2007 | Robertson,S, Care,A, Skinner,R, 2007, Interleukin 10 regulates inflammatory cytokine synthesis to protect against lipopolysaccharide-induced abortion and fetal growth restriction in mice, Biology of Reproduction, 76, 5, 738-748 10.1095/biolreprod.106.056143 |
| 2006 | Robertson,S, Skinner,R, Care,A, 2006, Essential role for IL-10 in resistance to lipopolysaccharide-induced preterm labor in mice, Journal of Immunology, 177, 7, 4888-4896 10.4049/jimmunol.177.7.4888 |
Book Chapters
| Date | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2014 | Robertson,SA, Sharkey,DJ, Schjenken,JE, Care,AS, Moldenhauer,LM, 2014, Pathways for activating implantation tolerance in early pregnancy., Bentham Science Publishers, pp. 1835-1874 10.1016/B978-0-12-397175-3.00041-7 |
Conference Papers
| Date | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2016 | Care,AS, Bourque,SL, Hjartarson,EP, Robertson,SA, Davidge,ST, 2016, Effect of Regulatory T Cell Depletion on Uterine Artery Function in the Mouse., 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society-for-Reproductive-Investigation, Montreal, CANADA |
| 2016 | Bourque,SL, Care,AS, Sung,M, Dyck,JR, Davidge,ST, 2016, Effects of Maternal Resveratrol Treatment on Blood Pressure and Vascular Function in Adult Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat Offspring., 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society-for-Reproductive-Investigation, Montreal, CANADA |
| 2016 | Morton,JS, Care,AS, Cooke,C-LM, Kirschenman,R, Davidge,ST, 2016, Altered Vascular Endothelial Function Three Months Postpartum in Dams of Advanced Maternal Age, 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society-for-Reproductive-Investigation, Montreal, CANADA |
| 2016 | Cooke,C-LM, Care,AS, Morton,JS, Kirschenman,RD, Davidge,ST, 2016, Endothelium-Dependent Vascular Function Is Impaired in Male Offspring from Aged Dams., 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society-for-Reproductive-Investigation, Montreal, CANADA |
| 2008 | Robertson,S, Jasper,M, Bromfield,J, Care,A, Nakamura,H, Ingman,W, 2008, The role of macrophages in implantation and early pregnancy success, World Congress on Reproductive Biology, Kailua Kona, HI 10.1093/biolreprod/78.s1.274c |
Conference Items
| Date | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Cooke,C-LM, Care,AS, Morton,JS, Shah,A, Reyes,LM, Davidge,ST, 2015, Increased Susceptibility To Cardiovascular Disease in Offspring Born From Dams of Advanced Maternal Age |
| 2015 | Care,AS, Bourque,SL, Davidge,ST, 2015, Assessment of the Time-Course of Pregnancy Loss in a Rat Model of Advanced Maternal Age |
| 2014 | Bourque,SL, Care,AS, Davidge,ST, 2014, Perinatal Iron Deficiency Increases Susceptibility to Diet-Induced Obesity: Effects of Prenatal Resveratrol Treatment. |
| 2014 | Care,AS, Bourque,SL, Davidge,ST, 2014, Effect of Advanced Maternal Age on Pregnancy Outcomes in the Rat |
| 2010 | Jasper,M, Care,A, Sullivan,B, Ingman,W, Aplin,J, Robertson,S, 2010, Uterine epithelial cell fucosylated structures are regulated by macrophages during early pregnancy in mouse, 11th International Congress of Reproductive Immunology, Palm Grove, AUSTRALIA 10.1016/j.jri.2010.06.071 |
| 2010 | Care,AS, Jasper,MJ, Ingman,WV, Robertson,SA, 2010, Macrophages are essential for maintenance of corpus luteum function in early pregnancy, 43rd Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Reproduction, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
Working Paper
| Date | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2016 | Care,AS; 2016; Mechanisms of Uterine Artery Dysfunction in Pregnancy Complications |
| 2016 | Care,AS; 2016; Adult Offspring Born to Mothers of Advanced Maternal Age Have Impaired Recovery Following Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury and Vascular Dysfunction |
Grants and Funding
| 2015-2017 | Inflammatory cytokines as causal agents in peri-conception programming of offspring health/ APP1079150 | CI-A Robertson SA, other CI: Thompson JG and Brown H, AI- Care AS | NHMRC | $585,276 |
| 2013-2017 | Effects of Advanced Maternal Age on Vascular Adaptations in Pregnancy and Subsequent Maternal and Offspring Cardiovascular Health. | Care AS is a co-investigator with CI-A Davidge, ST. | Canadian Institutes of Health and Research (CIHR) | CAD$563,708 |
| Jan 2015-present | CJ Martin Early Career Fellowship | NHMRC | $330,948 | |
| Jul 2013-Dec 2014 | Postdoctoral Fellowship | Heart and Stroke Foundation Canada (HSFC) | CAD $83,000 | |
| Jan 2013- Dec 2014 | Postdoctoral Fellowship | Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (AIHS) | CAD $165,000 | |
| Mar 2007-Mar 2011 | Postgraduate Scholarship | NHMRC | $79,209 | |
| May 2011-Jun 2011 | Frontiers in Reproduction Scholar – participating in 6 week training course at MLB, USA. | Marine Biological Laboratory, Burroughs Wellcome Fund | USD $6,500 |
Teaching
Teaching Assistant, University of South Australia, Australia
Teaching and laboratory demonstrations for undergraduate 1st year Physiology 100 students.
Supervision
University of Alberta, co-upervised two 4th year undergraduate (PHYS 467) students
University of Alberta, Supervised a summer scholar
Memberships
| Date | Role | Membership | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Member | Healthy Development Adelaide | Australia |
| 2012 | Member | Society for Reproductive Investigation | |
| 2012 | Member | Women and Children’s Health Research Institute | Canada |
| 2011 | Member | Society for the Study of Reproduction | |
| 2007 | Member | Society for Reproductive Biology, Australia |
Committee Memberships
| Date | Role | Committee | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 - 2016 | Vice-President | University of Alberta Postdoctoral Fellows Association, VP Communication |
Position
NHMRC CJ Martin Fellow
Phone
83131504
Campus
North Terrace
Building
Adelaide Health and Medical Sciences Building
Room Number
WS6071.12
Org Unit
Paediatrics and Reproductive Health