Emily Pryor

Our research group is doing amazing physiology and basic science research which is revolutionising clinical practice. It's amazing being a part of a lab which uses cutting-edge technology (like fetal surgery to monitor what's happening to maternal and fetal physiology at birth, and incredibly detailed imaging at the Australian Synchrotron to track lung aeration) to better understand the transition to life at birth, and then see that research being translated to clinical trials and eventually changing practice.

My research is looking at how to help babies breathe when they're born. In utero, the lungs are filled with liquid. Clearing this liquid underlies major physiological changes during the transition to life at birth. By better understanding how to aerate the lung, we can design improved interventions for resuscitating babies in the delivery room.

I have submitted a publication to the Journal of Applied Physiology, and I also have had opportunities to attend the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease conference and present at the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand's annual congress (although this was unfortunately delayed due to COVID-19).