Natalie Hannan

The veski inspiring women fellowship has helped Professor Hannan juggle a research career with family commitments.

“This unique veski fellowship provides much needed support to women, reducing the negative impact of taking maternity leave and returning to work part-time, and enabling women to remain competitive at a crucial time,” Natalie said.

“I have been able to focus on my research and fund additional staff, improving my research output, and accept invitations to present my work at premier international meetings and universities with the assistance of a carer for my young daughter.”

Natalie’s research focuses on preeclampsia, a serious complication of pregnancy affecting around 2-7% of all pregnancies and causing significant illness to both mothers and their babies. With no effective treatments available, a therapeutic approach is urgently needed.

Using a unique approach to specifically target the delivery of therapeutics directly to the placenta, allows promising drugs to be safely delivered at lower concentrations to the placenta, reducing side effects to both the mother and her baby.

Targeted placental therapeutic delivery would also be an innovative step forward for the treatment of major obstetric complications.

If this approach is successful and advances to the clinic, it would represent a breakthrough in the management of preeclampsia and dramatically improve outcomes for both mother and baby.

Natalie has two children, and in addition to leading a talented research team, she has a track record of success as an ambassador for women in STEM along with a recognised community profile that demonstrates her strong leadership skills.