2019
Dr. Fiona McDonald awarded the 2019 Experimental Physiology Inaugural Review Prize
In recognition of Fiona’s career trajectory and the significance of her scholarly work, the Experimental Physiology Editorial Board has awarded Fiona with the 2019 Inaugural Review Prize for her review article “The impact of preterm adversity on cardiorespiratory function”.
Preterm birth is one of the leading causes of neonatal mortality. Babies that survive early life stress associated with immaturity, have significant prevailing short- and long-term morbidities. Oxygen dysregulation in the first few days and weeks after birth is a primary concern as the cardiorespiratory system slowly adjusts to extra-uterine life. Infants exposed to rapid alterations in oxygen tension, including exposures to hypoxia and hyperoxia, have altered redox balance and active immune signalling leading to altered stress responses that impinge on neuro development and cardiorespiratory homeostasis. In this review, we explore the clinical challenges posed by preterm birth followed by an examination of the literature on animal models of oxygen dysregulation and immune activation in the context of early life stress. Fiona McDonald received her PhD from University College Dublin, Ireland. She is currently a faculty member at University College Cork, Ireland and a starter investigator funded by Science Foundation Ireland. Her research interests focus on investigating the influence of neonatal stress on cardiorespiratory function (McDonald et al., 2019 Exp Physiol).
This review article is now published and available at the link below:
https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1113/EP087490