Jesia Berry

Dr Jesia Berry

Grant Funded Researcher

Adelaide Medical School

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences


Jesia is the project manager for a nationwide project: Genomic testing pathways for precision medicine in cerebral palsy.
Project synopsis: One in 700 children world-wide have cerebral palsy (CP), an often-debilitating permanent movement disorder. The national Australian CP Biobank (ACPB) comprises more than 500 families; systematic genomic sequencing revealed that at least one-quarter of children have an underlying genetic cause. A Medical Research Futures Fund Genomic Health Futures Mission (MRFF GHFM) project grant was recently awarded (2024-2027) to implement genomic testing pathways for children with, or at high risk of, CP. Five-hundred children will be recruited into the ACPB from NSW, Qld, Vic, WA and SA, either prospectively from early diagnosis clinics or retrospectively from cohort studies of early interventions. The project will combine genomic testing and extensive clinical assessment to provide early and accurate aetiological classification of CP. We will look for clinical and neuroimaging predictors of genetic aetiology. We will assess the value of implementing early genomic testing pathways, including the ‘value of knowing’ for a definitive diagnosis.

Jesia has advanced skills in epidemiology and biostatistical analysis of healthcare databases. She collates clinical data into the national Australian Cerebral Palsy (CP) Biobank and works with a team of geneticists, who undertake whole exome/genome sequencing, epigenetic and functional studies to investigate the genetic causes of CP. She contributes as a member of the Australian Collaborative Cerebral Palsy Research Group to progress research into the aetiology of CP by providing clinical data analysis support and facilitating data linkage studies with cerebral palsy registers and other datasets.

Jesia completed a Master of Public Health in 2008 and a PhD in 2013 with a thesis entitled: 'Postmarketing Vaccine Safety Surveillance Using Data Linkage: The Issue of Consent'. The research was funded by the Australian Research Council as one component of a Linkage Project grant entitled: Vaccine Assessment Using Linked Data (VALiD). The research output comprised four first author peer-reviewed journal papers.

Jesia has been previously employed as a researcher in:
- laboratory-based research for clinical drug trials;
- hospital patient safety research;
- injury-related topics - analysing national mortality and hospital morbidity data and producing AIHW reports and journal articles; and
- the South Australian Early Childhood Data Demonstration Project - analysing linked anonymised administrative data spanning child health, education and welfare services for all children born in South Australia between 1999 and 2005, led by Prof John Lynch.

A recent publication with a social media link (below):
Since the early 2000s, researchers have searched for the genetic causes of cerebral palsy. One would expect these genetic studies to pay particular attention to using an accepted standard definition of cerebral palsy to avoid the risk of including cases who do not have cerebral palsy. In a systematic review of the scientific literature, it was found only 32% of genetic studies defined cerebral palsy using international guidelines, which is suboptimal. The main recommendation from this work led by Dr Jesia Berry and undertaken by Honours student Ryan Pham from the University of Adelaide’s Robinson Research Institute is for future genetic studies to follow international guidelines in defining and diagnosing cerebral palsy and report this at publication.

  • Appointments

    Date Position Institution name
    2016 - ongoing Data Manager Robinson Research Institute
    2012 - 2014 Postdoctoral Researcher School of Public Health
    2009 - 2012 Casual tutor, Introduction to Biostatistics (2012), Biostatistics II (2011-2012), Public Health 1A & 1B (2009-2012) The University of Adelaide
    2004 - 2008 Research Associate Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) National Injury Surveillance Unit (NISU)
    2004 - 2008 Casual tutor and lecturer, Epidemiology & Biostatistics (2004-2008), online course coordinator for Master of Clinical Rehabilitation (2007-2008) Flinders University
    2001 - 2003 Project Officer Clinical Epidemiology and Health Outcomes Unit
    1996 - 2000 Research Assistant Centre for Pharmaceutical Research
  • Awards and Achievements

    Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount
    2020 Achievement University of Adelaide Vice Chancellor’s Team Prize for Excellence in Research 2020 The University of Adelaide Australia -
    2013 Distinction Dean’s commendation for doctoral thesis excellence The University of Adelaide Australia -
    2012 Award Best PhD in 2012 in the School of Public Health The University of Adelaide - -
    2011 Scholarship Student travel bursary Australasian Epidemiology Association (AEA) Australia -
    1996 Research Award RF Whelan Prize - - -
  • Education

    Date Institution name Country Title
    2009 - 2012 The University of Adelaide Australia PhD
    2007 - 2008 The University of Adelaide Australia MPH
    1992 - 1996 The University of Adelaide Australia BHSc(Hons)
  • Postgraduate Training

    Date Title Institution Country
    2019 - 2019 Short course in 'Mediation Analysis using Potential Outcome Framework' The University of Adelaide Australia
    2008 - 2008 Introductory & Advanced Analysis of Linked Health Data University of Western Australia Singapore
  • Research Interests

2022-2024 Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation Fellowship: Novel linkage to study cerebral palsy, chronic conditions, and developmental delays at school age. $98,678. CIs: Berry JG, Rice J, Gibson C, Mittinty M, Gecz J, Lynch J.

2021-2023 Berry JG, van Eyk CL, Gibson CS, Pilkington R, Corbett MA, Rice JE, Mittinty MN, Gecz J, MacLennan AH, Lynch JW. Novel linkage to study childhood disability and the genetic and non-genetic causes of cerebral palsy. Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation project grant: $96,480.

2019 Wilson Y, McIntyre S, Gecz J, Baynam G, Corbett M, Gunnewig B, Berry J, Harper K. Using a sibling design approach to investigate genomics of CP and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Cerebral Palsy Alliance (CPA) Research Foundation project grant: $75,610.

2006 Evans SM, Berry JG, Smith BJ. Incident Reporting to Improve Systems (IRIS) project South Australian Hospitals Safety and Quality Council: $400,000.

  • Other Supervision Activities

    Date Role Research Topic Location Program Supervision Type Student Load Student Name
    2021 - ongoing Principal Supervisor A project investigating the role of genetics in cerebral palsy patients with comparison to MRI scans The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) Honours in the School of Public Health Honours Full Time Huy-Dat Pham
    2018 - 2018 Co-Supervisor The role of genetic variants in cerebral palsy: A systematic review University of Adelaide Bachelor of Health and Medical Sciences (Honours) Honours Full Time Ryan Pham
  • Memberships

    Date Role Membership Country
    2003 - ongoing - Australasian Epidemiological Association Australia
    2003 - 2014 - Public Health Association of Australia Australia
  • Position: Grant Funded Researcher
  • Phone: 83131402
  • Email: jesia.berry@adelaide.edu.au
  • Fax: 83131333
  • Campus: West End Health Precinct
  • Building: AHMS - Adelaide Health and Medical Sciences, floor Eighth Floor
  • Org Unit: Women's and Children's Health

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