Robyn O'Hehir

Professor Robyn O'Hehir is a distinguished academic clinician-scientist in allergy research, holding the Foundation Chair of Allergy at Monash University. She leads the School of Translational Medicine and is affiliated with Alfred Hospital. Her work integrates basic research with clinical medicine, focusing on immunomodulation for allergic and immune-mediated diseases. She has secured over $124M in grants, including NHMRC funding, and pioneered methodologies for cloning allergen-specific T cells. O’Hehir’s research translates into therapies for house dust mite, grass pollen, and peanut allergies, with clinical trials ongoing. She has authored >350 publications, holds 18 patent families, and co-founded Aravax Pty Ltd. Awards include Fellowships from the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and NHMRC's 'Great Minds' honor.

Education:

• Bachelor of Science and Medicine/Surgery from Monash University
• PhD from University of London (Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Scholarship)
• Postgraduate qualifications: FRACP, FRCP, FRCPath, FAHMS, FThorSoc

Research Interests:

• Molecular characterization of allergens
• Immunotherapy development (e.g., peanut allergy)
• Thunderstorm asthma mechanisms
• Follistatin as a therapeutic for lung fibrosis
• Biomarkers for immunotherapy efficacy

Recent Research Trends: Focus on precision diagnostics (CytoBas assay), B cell biomarkers for immunotherapy outcomes, and SARS-CoV-2 vaccine immune responses. Recent work includes enhancing cross-reactivity in Omicron subvariants and allergen-specific memory B cell dynamics.

Awards:

• Officer of the Order of Australia (2016)
• Fellowships (FAHMS, FThorSoc, 2015)
• Top Researcher in Immunology (2022)

Advising & Grants: Supervised >40 graduate students and currently co-supervises 3 PhD candidates. Serves on NHMRC committees, CABRINI Board, and editorial roles for major journals. Managed grants totaling over $124M since 1997.

Labs/Teams: Director of CRC Asthma & Airways, founding member of the Jeffrey Modell Center in Melbourne, and leader of translational immunology programs at Monash.