Research Interests
Allergy Clinical Trials Health Policy Maternal Health Midwifery Nutrition and Dietetics Paediatrics Paediatrics and Reproductive Medicine Pediatrics Public Health Public Health and Health Services Public Nutrition Intervention Quality Assurance Quality Management Research, Science and Technology PolicyDr Karen Best
School of Medicine
College of Health
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.
Dr Karen Best (RN, RM, PhD) is a Principal Research Fellow at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) and Lead of Pregnancy and Newborn Health at SAHMRI Women and Kids. She is passionate about improving outcomes for women and their children through high quality clinical research and translating findings into clinical practiceCareer SummaryAs a mid-career researcher with a unique breadth of experience in clinical midwifery, clinical trial management and academic proficiency, Dr Best has attracted more than $8.6 million as CI on Industry and NHMRC funded grants. She completed her PhD in 2015, titled “The effect of prenatal omega-3 supplementation on childhood allergic disease at six years of age” and was awarded a Dean’s Commendation for Thesis Excellence. Her project involved the long-term allergic disease follow up of 668 children from a large RCT (2499 women) of prenatal omega-3 supplementation to reduce postnatal depression and improve infant neurodevelopment. These findings have been published in top-ranking discipline specific journals (Pediatrics and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition). Both contributions received supportive editorials and have been cited in policy documents including; Guideline from the Australasian Society for Clinical Immunology and Allergy, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the European Allergy and Clinical Immunology Position Paper on the influence of dietary fatty acids on allergy. In 2019, she was awarded the prestigious MS McLeod Post-doctoral Fellowship, supporting her continued leadership in perinatal research and translation.Dr Best has led several successful large-scale, clinical projects involving more than 20,000 participants from clinical and community settings, including a large national cardiovascular trial in a Primary Care setting as well as the largest trial of prenatal omega-3 supplementation for the prevention of preterm birth (ORIP Trial). Further analysis of ORIP Trial results identified which women will benefit from omega-3 supplementation to prevent preterm birth. This work generated new knowledge and has been integrated into routine practice in South Australia. Dr Best is currently supported by an MRFF Maternal Healthy Lifestyles grant to facilitate implementation of this strategy into routine clinical practice to prevent preterm birth. She is also leading a landmark national pregnancy trial to investigate the effects of prenatal iodine on infant development. Using a novel decentralised trial design, results will inform health policy, clinicians, and consumers.Dr Best has published 60 manuscripts, many published in top ranking journals including NEJM, JAMA and AJCN. 84% of her research is free to read online, a level shared by the top 3% of researchers. She has been project lead and Steering Committee Chair on several influential perinatal RCTs (APP250322, APP349301, APP1027710) resulting in translation of results to clinical practice. She recently authored the international guideline for omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy to reduce preterm birth for the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL). Dr Best’s aptitude in the management of high-quality trials has been recognised with personal invitations for plenary presentations at international and national congresses.Dr Best currently leads a broader program of innovative perinatal trials with strong local and national collaboration. She is an Investigator on several industry-sponsored and investigator-initiated projects and is currently leading The PoppiE Trial, a landmark MRFF-funded national study examining the optimal level of iodine supplementation in pregnancy to support infant neurodevelopment. In recognition of her contributions to maternal and infant health research, Dr Best was recently awarded the 2025 Health Development Adelaide (HDA) Women’s Excellence in Research Award.Professional ActivitiesDr Best is a member of the Australian Clinical Trials Education Committee and Midwife representative on the Data Safety Monitoring Board for a large Western Australian clinical trial. She regularly peer review articles for journals including British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, European Journal of Pediatrics, Evidence Based Medicine and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. She is a member of the SAHMRI Consumer and Community Involvement program and regularly engages with media including TV, Radio, podcasts, and social media. Dr Best actively mentors students and research staff, significantly contributing to perinatal research through her leadership. Her impact on perinatal research continues to grow, driven by her commitment to improving outcomes for women and children and translating evidence into practice.
Previous Experience
Dr Karen Best is a Registered Midwife with a unique breadth of experience in clinical project management, academic skills and knowledge translation and is committed to better understanding the essential role that modifiable exposures in pregnancy play in setting the foundations for a healthy start to life.
Dr Best currently leads a program of research involving the design and conduct of innovative perinatal trials, with national and international collaboration. Her work focuses on nutritional interventions during, pregnancy and early life (first 1000 days) to ensure children have the best start to life. She is currently leading a landmark national trial of iodine supplementation in pregnancy to identify the optimal amount of iodine needed in pregnancy for infant neurodevelopment.
She completed her PhD in 2015, titled “The effect of prenatal omega-3 supplementation on childhood allergic disease at six years of age” and was awarded a Dean’s Commendation for Thesis Excellence. Her project involved the long-term allergic disease follow up of 668 children from a large RCT (2499 women) of prenatal omega-3 supplementation to reduce postnatal depression and improve infant neurodevelopment. These findings have been published in top-ranking discipline specific journals (Pediatrics and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition). Both contributions received supportive editorials and have been cited in policy documents including; Guideline from the Australasian Society for Clinical Immunology and Allergy, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the European Allergy and Clinical Immunology Position Paper on the influence of dietary fatty acids on allergy.
Her first post-doctoral role as Chief Investigator resulted in the successful completion of the largest trial in the world of Omega-3 in pregnancy to Reduce the Incidence of Prematurity (ORIP) Trial. Dr Best led this National RCT involving 5544 women from multiple participating centres, since been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Evidence from the ORIP Trial combined with the 2018 Cochrane review of omega-3 in pregnancy has recently informed an “Omega-3 Implementation Project. Using the current evidence base and extensive consultation with health professional and consumer reference groups, we have partnered with SA Pathology to deliver a precision nutrition approach involving omega-3 testing and specific guidance for supplementation based on omega-3 status results in the first 20 weeks of gestation. The aim of the implementation project is to reduce the incidence of early preterm birth by embedding sustainable omega-3 precision nutrition strategies in pathology and maternity services.
Dr Best is an Investigator on several industry-sponsored and investigator-initiated grants totalling more than $6, 000 000 and involving more than 11,000 participants. These skills have been recognised internationally with invitations to speak at clinical trial workshops in the US. She has managed interdisciplinary teams and delivered complex research projects involving multiple stakeholders and in changing environments.
Dr Best welcomes enquiries from potential students, particularly midwives/clinicians interested in pursuing a higher research degree.
Research Interests
- Investigation of modifiable exposures (nutrition, environment) in the perinatal period to optimise childhood outcomes.
- Preventative health strategies to optimise the prenatal period and improve lifelong health outcomes
- Implementation and evaluation of evidence-based health care
- Novel clinical trial methods, decentralised trials, e-recruitment/consent and digital retention strategies.
Research Impact
Dr Best’s work on omega-3 in pregnancy to prevent preterm birth Results been used to inform the update of the Australian Perinatal Guidelines and further analysis of this trial has guided an implementation project to embed precision nutrition strategy into routine antenatal care for the prevention of preterm birth.
Community engagement and participation
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 - ongoing | Director | SAHMRI |
| 2016 - 2022 | Afiliate Senior Lecturer | University of Adelaide |
| 2016 - ongoing | Post-doctoral Research Fellow | South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute |
| 2015 - ongoing | Research Fellow | South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide |
| 2009 - 2012 | Clinical Trial Project Manager | Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne |
| 2005 - 2009 | Clinical Trial Manager | Women's & Children's Health Research Institute, North Adelaide |
| 1990 - 1991 | Registerd Midwife | The Queen Victoria Hospital |
| 1984 - 1987 | Registered Nurse | The Queen Elizabeth Hospital |
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Achievement | Runner-up ACTA Trial of the Year | Australian Clinical Trials Alliance | Australia | - |
| 2019 | Fellowship | MS McLeod Post-Doctoral Fellowship | Women's and Children's Hospital Foundation | Australia | - |
| 2018 | Award | ISSFAL Early Career Award | International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) | United States | - |
| 2016 | Achievement | Winner South Australian 'Fresh Science' Competition | Science In Public, Victoria. | Australia | - |
| 2016 | Award | Travel Grant | Healthy Development Adelaide | Australia | $1000 |
| 2016 | Scholarship | Research and Ethics Training Scholarship | Praxis Australia | - | $1000.00 |
| 2015 | Recognition | Deans Commendation Doctoral thesis Excellence | University of Adelaide | Australia | - |
| 2013 | Scholarship | MS McLeod Peadiatric/Child Health Nursing Scholarship | MS McLeod Foundation | Australia | - |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 - 2015 | University of Adelaide | Australia | PhD Medicine |
| 2005 - 2007 | University of Canberra | Australia | Advance Certificate Clinical Trial Management |
| 1991 - 1992 | The Queen Victoria Hospital | Australia | Graduate Midwife Program |
| 1990 - 1991 | The Queen Victoria Hospital | Australia | Registered Midwifery Certificate |
| Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Adelaide | Australia | Registered Nursing Certificate |
| Date | Title | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 - 2015 | PhD Medicine | University of Adelaide, Adelaide | Australia |
| 2005 - 2007 | Graduate Certificate Clinical Trial Management | University of Canberra | Australia |
| Date | Title | Institution name | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | Registered Midwifery Certificate | Queen Victoria Hospital | Australia |
| — | Registered Nursing Certificate | The Queen Elizabeth Hospital | - |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Netting, M. J., Best, K. P., & Green, T. J. (2022). The Role of Vitamin D in Anemia. In Nutrition and Health United Kingdom (Vol. Part F3941, pp. 195-204). Springer International Publishing. DOI Scopus1 |
| 2018 | Muhlhausler, B., Collins, C. T., Gould, J., Best, K. P., & Leghi, G. (2018). Polyunsaturated fatty acids: metabolism and nutritional requirements in pregnancy and infancy. In G. Burdge (Ed.), Polyunsaturated Fatty acid Metabolism (pp. 111-135). United Kingdom: Elsevier. DOI Scopus7 |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Green, T. J., Best, K. P., & Netting, M. J. (2023). The Emerging Role of Vitamin D Deficiency in Anemia. In ANNALS OF NUTRITION AND METABOLISM Vol. 79 (pp. 133). KARGER. |
| 2023 | Sulistyoningrum, D. C., Sullivan, T. R., Skubisz, M., Palmer, D. J., Wood, S., Snel, M. F., . . . Best, K. P. (2023). Detection of serum unmetabolised folic acid at 36 weeks' gestation in pregnant women taking multi-vitamin and mineral supplements with or without 800 µg folic acid. In ANNALS OF NUTRITION AND METABOLISM Vol. 79 (pp. 495). KARGER. |
| 2023 | Probst, Y., Sulistyoningrum, D. C., Netting, M. J., Gould, J., Makrides, M., Best, K. P., & Green, T. J. (2023). Choline intakes, dietary choline sources, and serum choline concentrations in early and late pregnancy. In PROCEEDINGS OF THE NUTRITION SOCIETY Vol. 82 (pp. 1 page). CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS. DOI |
| 2022 | Best, K., Yelland, L., Gibson, R., & Makrides, M. (2022). Omega-3 to Reduce the Incidence of Preterm Birth - from bench to bedside. In WOMEN AND BIRTH Vol. 35 (pp. S42). ELSEVIER. DOI |
| 2021 | Best, K. (2021). Prenatal Omega-3 Supplementation for the Prevention of Preterm Birth-A Double Edged Sword?. In JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN OIL CHEMISTS SOCIETY Vol. 98 (pp. 226). WILEY. |
| 2018 | Best, K. (2018). Exposure to everyday chemicals: phthalate concentrations in pregnant women in Australia. In J Paediatr Child Health. 2018;54(S1):1-2.. Auckland. |
| 2017 | Best, K. (2017). Prenatal Omega-3 Supplementation and Allergy in Childhood.. In Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, 8(S1), S1-S449. doi:10.1017/S2040174417000848.. Rotterdam, The Netherlands. |
| 2016 | Best, K. (2016). Prenatal Omega-3 Supplementation and Allergy in Childhood.. In European journal of pediatrics. 2016; 175(11):1393-880. Geneva, Switzerland. |
| 2015 | Best, K. (2015). Six Year Follow Up of Children at High Hereditary Risk of Allergy, Born To Mothers Supplemented With Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) in the DOMInO Trial. In Journal of Peadiatrics and Child Health (2015) 51 S1 1-17. NSW, Australia. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Best, K. P., Northcott, C., Simmonds, L. A., Middleton, P., Yelland, L. N., Moffa, V., . . . Makrides, M. (2025). Feasibility, Implementation and Early Adoption of an Omega-3 Test-and-Treat Program to Reduce Preterm Birth. DOI |
| 2022 | Keir, A., Rumbold, A., Collins, C. T., McPhee, A. J., Varghese, J., Morris, S., . . . Best, K. P. (2022). Breastfeeding outcomes in late preterm infants: a multi-centre prospective cohort study. DOI |
| 2020 | Best, K., Green, T., Sulistyoningrum, D., Sullivan, T., Aufreiter, S., Prescott, S., . . . Palmer, D. (2020). Maternal late-pregnancy serum unmetabolized folic acid concentrations are not associated with infant allergic disease - A prospective cohort study. DOI |
| 2020 | Best, K. P., Gibson, R. A., Yelland, L. N., Leemaqz, S., Gomersall, J., Liu, G., & Makrides, M. (2020). Effect of omega-3 LCPUFA supplementation on maternal fatty acid and oxylipin concentrations during pregnancy. DOI |
| Date | Project | Other Investigators | Role | Funding Body | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Prenatal Iodine Supplementation and Early Childhood Neurodevelopment - PoppiE |
Tim Green, Jacqueline Gould, Thomas Sullivan, Maria Makrides, Rosalie Grivell, Jeanie Cheong, Hossein Afzali, Shao Zhou, Dorothy Mackerras, Dr Stefan Kane, Huda Safa, Andrew Mcphee, Monika Skubisz, Lex Doyle |
Prinipal Investigator | MRFF | $3,430,000 |
| 2020 | Folic Acid in pregnancy | Paul Trim | Prinipal Investigator | SAHMRI | $30,000 |
| 2020 | Detection of unmetabolised folic acid in pregnant women at 36 weeks gestation taking multinutrient supplements with or without folic acid | Dian C Sulistyoningrum (PhD Student), Thomas R Sullivan, Monika Skubisz, Debra J Palmer, Simon Wood, Martin F Snel, Paul J Trim, Maria Makrides, Timothy J Green | Prinipal Investigator | Women's and Children's Hospial Foundation | $100,000 |
| 2019 | The effect of maternal unmetabolized folic acid on allergic disease in the infant |
Tim Green, Maria Makrides, Debbie Palmer |
Prinipal Investigator | Thrasher Research Fund (US) | $30,000 |
| 2017 | A randomized controlled trial to investigate nutritive effects of a cow’s milk-based infant formula on growth rates of late preterm infants | Professor Maria Makrides, Dr Carmel Collins, Professor Robert Gibson, A/Professor Geraint Rogers, Dr Andrew McPhee, Dr Lisa Yelland | Cheif Investigator |
Mead Johnson Nutritionals |
$2,200,000 |
| 2017 | Omega-3 in breastmilk |
A/Professor Beverly Muhlhausler, Professor Maria Makrides, Dr Carmel Collins, A/Professor Geraint Rogers, |
Cheif Investigator | BASF Newtrition Grant International Commercial |
$64,000 |
| 2017 | Phthalates and preterm birth | A/Professor Philippa Middleton, Professor Maria Makrides, A/Professor Jo Zhou, Professor Robert Gibson, Dr Andrew McPhee, Dr Lisa Yelland | Cheif Investigator/Clinical Project Manager | Women's & Children's Hospital Foundation Domestic, not for profit |
$54,000 |
| 2013 | Omega-3 fats to reduce the incidence of preterm birth. | Makrides M, Yelland L, McPhee A, Zhou S, Quinlivan J, Dodd J, Atkinson E, Safa H, Van Dam J, Khot N, Gibson R | Cheif Investigator/Clinical Project Manager | NHMRC | $4,021,840 |
| 2016 | The Breast Milk Omega-3 Trial | Beverly Muhlhausle, Andrew McPhee, Maria Makrides | Cheif Investigator | BASF Newtrition | $64,000 |
| 2015 | Does fish oil supplementation reduce allergies in school age children? |
Sullivan T, Palmer D, Gold M, Kennedy DJ, Martin J, Makrides M | PhD Candidate/Student Investigator | NHMRC | $429,231 |
| 2005 | DHA to optimise maternal and infant outcomes. |
Maria Makrides, Robert A. Gibson, Andrew J. McPhee, Carmel T. Collins, Peter G. Davis, Lex W. Doyle, Karen Simmer, Paul B. Colditz, Scott Morris, Lisa G. Smithers, Kristyn Willson, Philip Ryan |
Clinical Project Manager | NHMRC | $1,649,000 |
| 2003 |
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Preterm Infants Fed High-Dose Docosahexaenoic Acid |
Maria Makrides, Robert A. Gibson, Andrew J. McPhee, Carmel T. Collins, Peter G. Davis, Lex W. Doyle, Karen Simmer, Paul B. Colditz, Scott Morris, Lisa G. Smithers, Kristyn Willson, Philip Ryan |
Clinical Trial Coordinator | NHMRC | $615,000 |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Co-Supervisor | The effects of omega-3 and aspirin supplementation on preterm birth rates | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Michael Ian Mugford |
| 2024 | Co-Supervisor | The effects of omega-3 and aspirin supplementation on preterm birth rates | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Michael Ian Mugford |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | Co-Supervisor | From Evidence to Action: Implementing a Novel Omega-3 Test-and-Treat Program in Antenatal Care to Prevent Preterm Birth | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Celine Northcott |
| 2019 - 2023 | Co-Supervisor | The effect of continued folic acid supplementation beyond the first trimester on unmetabolised folic acid in late gestation | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Dian Caturini Sulistyoningrum |
| Date | Role | Committee | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 - ongoing | Co-Chair | Data Safety and Monitoring Committee | Curtin University | Australia |
| 2019 - 2022 | Board Member | SAHMRI Women and Kids Community Board | SAHMRI Women and Kids | Australia |
| 2019 - 2024 | Member | Data Safety Monitoring Board | Women's and Infant's Research Foundation | Australia |
| 2017 - 2020 | Member | DOHaD Council | Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Society | Australia |
| 2017 - ongoing | Member | IMPACT Committee | Interdisciplinary Maternal Perinatal Australasian Collaborative Trials Network | Australia |
| 2016 - ongoing | Member | Low-risk Human Research Ethics Committee | University of Adelaide | Australia |
| Date | Title | Type | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 - 2024 | Independent Content Expert | Advice | Flinders University | Australia |
