Preterm babies are at high risk of long-term neurodevelopmental impairment. Associate Professor Flora Wong studies the mechanisms of newborn brain injury with the goal of improving the life-long neurodevelopment of the smallest, most vulnerable newborns.

Associate Professor Wong Is a senior neonatologist and a clinical researcher with expertise in the preterm brain and neurodevelopment. She is a Group Head at Hudson Institute, a Consultant Neonatologist at Monash Children’s Hospital and a senior research fellow at the Department of Paediatrics, Monash University.

Associate Professor Wong’s research focus is 

• Discovering the physiological processes that underlie pre-term baby brain Injury
• Developing cot-side and long-term monitoring for the early detection and outcome prediction in pre-terms
• Optimising treatments to protect the newborn brain.

Associate Professor Wong has made significant contributions to the bedside measurement and understanding of brain-blood flow and oxygenation in preterm babies, which is a critical factor on preterm brain injury.  Clinically, A/Prof Wong’s research has driven the translation and application of near Infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to be used at the bedside for monitoring brain oxygenation in preterm babies.

Associate Professor Wong has received $5.3M in competitively funded research grants including project and fellowship funding from the NHMRC and philanthropic bodies such as the National Heart Foundation.

Education | Associate Professor Flora Wong

2009	PhD	Monash University
2003	Fellow	Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP)
1993	Medicine Bachelor, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)	University of Melbourne

Awards and Fellowships | Associate Professor Flora Wong

2023	Victor Yu Clinical Research Fellow	The Ritchie Centre, The Hudson Institute
2019-2022	Medical Research Future Fund Career Development Fellowship Level 2	NHMRC
2015-2018	Clinical Development Fellowship Level 1	NHMRC
2012-2014	Health Professional Research Training Fellowship	NHMRC
2009-2011	Kathleen Tinsley Fellowship	Department of Paediatrics, Monash University
2006-2009	Australia Postgraduate Award (APA scholarship for PhD studies)	Australian Federal Government
2005	Victoria Fellowship	Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development, State Government of Victoria

Affiliations

Associate Professor	Department of Paediatrics, Monash University
Senior Consultant Neonatologist	Monash Newborn, Monash Children’s Hospital

Links

Google scholar ORCID

Selected publications

• Martini, S., Thewissen, L., Austin, T., Da Costa, C.S., De Boode, W.P., Dempsey, E., Kooi, E., Pellicer, A., Rhee, C.J., Riera, J., Wolf, M., Wong, FY and European Society for Paediatric Research Special Interest Group. .(2023) Near-infrared spectroscopy monitoring of neonatal cerebrovascular reactivity: where are we now? Pediatr Research.

• Inocencio IM*, Tran NT*, Khor SJ, Wiersma M, Nakamura S, Stoecker K, Polglase GR, Pearson JT, Walker DW, Wong FY (2022) Cerebral haemodynamic response to somatosensory stimulation in preterm lambs and 7-10-day old lambs born at term: direct synchrotron microangiography assessment. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism; 42(2): 315-28.

• Inocencio IM*, Tran NT*, Khor SJ, Wiersma M, Nakamura S, Walker DW, Wong FY. (2021) The cerebral haemodynamic response to somatosensory stimulation in preterm newborn lambs is reduced with dopamine or dobutamine infusion. Experimental Neurology: 113687.

• Shepherd KS, Stephanie R. Yiallourou, SR, Odoi A, Brew N, Yeoman E, Willis S Horne RSC, Wong FY. (2019) Effects of prone sleeping on cerebral oxygenation in preterm infants. Journal of Pediatrics ;204,103-110 e101

• Ellery SJ, Goss M, Brew N, Dickinson H, Hale N, LaRosa D, Walker DW & Wong FY. (2019) Evaluation of 3K3A-Activated Protein C to Treat Neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Brain Injury in the Spiny Mouse. Neurotherapeutics;16,231-243

• Horne RS, Fung AC, McNeil S, Fyfe KL, Odoi A, Wong FY. (2017) The longitudinal effects of persistent apnea on cerebral oxygenation in infants born preterm. J Pediatrics;182:79-84

• Nakamura S, Walker DW, Wong FY. (2017) Cerebral haemodynamic response to somatosensory stimulation in near-term fetal sheep. The Journal of physiology.;595(4):1289-303

• Brew N, Azhan A, den Heijer I, Boomgardt M, Davies GI, Nitsos I, Miller SL, Walker AM, Walker DW, Wong FY. (2016) Dopamine treatment during acute hypoxia is neuroprotective in the developing sheep brain. Neuroscience;316:82-93.

• Edwards A, Veldman A, Nitsos I, Chan Y, Brew N, Teoh M, Menahem S, Schranz D, and Wong FY. (2015) A percutaneous fetal cardiac catheterisation technique for stenting the foramen ovale in a mid-gestation lamb model. Circulation Cardiovascular interventions.;8, e001967.

• Schwahn BC, van Spronsen FJ, Belaidi AA, Bowhay S, Christodoulou J, Derks TG, Hennermann JB, Jameson E, König K, McGregor TL, Font-Montgomery E, Santamaria-Araujo JA, Santra S, Vaidya M, Vierzig A, Wassmer E, Weis I, Wong FY, Veldman A, Schwarz G (2015) Efficacy and safety of cyclic pyranopterin monophosphate substitution in severe molybdenum cofactor deficiency type A: a prospective cohort study. Lancet 386, 1955-1963.

• Fyfe KL, Yiallourou SR, Wong FY, Odoi A, Walker AM, Horne RS. (2014) Cerebral Oxygenation in Preterm Infants. Pediatrics;134:435-45.

• Brew N, Walker D, Wong FY. (2014) Cerebral Vascular Regulation and Brain Injury in Preterm Infants (Review). Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol March;306(11):R773-86.

• Wong FY, Silas R, Hew S, Samarasinghe T, Walker AM. (2012) Cerebral Oxygenation Is Highly Sensitive to Blood Pressure Variability in Sick Preterm Infants. PLoS ONE 7(8): e43165. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0043165

• Wong FY, Witcombe NB, Yiallourou SR, Yorkston SM, Walker AM, Horne RSC. (2011) Cerebral oxygenation is depressed during sleep in healthy term infants when they sleep prone. Pediatrics;127:e558-565

• Wong FY, Leung T, Austin T, Wilkinson M, Meek J, Wyatt J, Walker AM. (2008) Impaired Dynamic autoregulation in preterm infants identified using spatially resolved spectroscopy. Pediatrics;121(3):e604-611