Kathryn Gatford

Dr. Kathryn Gatford is an Associate Professor in the School of Biomedicine at the University of Adelaide, affiliated with the Robinson Research Institute. She holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Hons I, dux) and a PhD. Her research focuses on understanding early life programming of health and disease, particularly metabolic homeostasis and interventions to mitigate adverse effects of poor pregnancy outcomes.

Education:

• Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Hons I, dux)
• PhD in Biomedical Sciences

Research Interests: Dr. Gatford investigates antenatal glucocorticoids' impact on lung maturation and brain development, maternal asthma's effects on progeny allergy risks, and gastrointestinal adaptations during pregnancy. Her work bridges preclinical models and human studies, emphasizing translational research to improve human and animal health.

Grants and Awards: Over $2.9M in funding, including NHMRC Project Grants, Diabetes Australia Research Trust Type 2 Millennium Award, and CRC grants. Notable projects include studies on shiftwork effects during pregnancy and exercise interventions for IUGR.

Teaching: Coordinates courses in childhood health, innovation in health, and reproductive biology. Program Coordinator for the Bachelor of Health & Medical Sciences (Advanced) program.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Early Origins of Health and Disease Research Group. Collaborates with SAHMRI and Women's & Children's Hospital on preclinical and human cohort studies.