Associate Professor Dani Dixon

Academic Status

College of Medicine and Public Health

place Flinders Medical Centre
GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia

Associate Professor Dixon is the Principle Medical Scientist in the Intensive Care Unit, Flinders Medical Centre, Associate Professor in the College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University and Head of The Lung Lab. She also holds full academic status as Assoc Prof at Northen Ontario School of Medicine University, Canada. Assoc. Prof. Dixon obtained her PhD in Paediatrics, Flinders University in 2004 studying innate/mucosal immunology of breast milk in response to respiratory infections and allergy. Since 2004 she has continued to establish a trackrecord in innate immunology associated with acute and chronic lung injury including ALI/ARDS, infant bronchiolitis and chronic heart failure. Her success is evidenced by research funding, ~$3,000,000, as well as a publication record of >60 peer reviewed articles. Assoc. Prof. Dixon is regularly invited to review for premier international journals and to present her work at both national and international meetings.

Qualifications

1995    Bachelor of Science, University of Adelaide,majoring in Immunology and Genetics

2004    Doctor of Philosophy, Flinders University

Honours, awards and grants

2000 - Australian Postgraduate Award (Industry) 2000-03

   - PUFA in Maternal and Child Health, Kansas City Missouri,2000. Student Travel Award

- 10th InternationalConference of the International Society for Research on Human Milk andLactation, Tucson Arizona, 2000. Young Investigator Travel Award

2001 - The Australian Society for MedicalResearch: SA Division, 2001. Bio-Rad NewInvestigator Award for Excellence in Presentation, Best New Investigator: OralPresentation

2002 - Child HealthResearch Institute.  Student Award,2002    Best Publication, 2002

2003 - FMRI/PRISM Student ResearchDay. Pall Gelman Life SciencesAward for the Best Presentation by a 3rd or 4th YearPostgraduate Student

    - The International Lactation ConsultantAssociation Conference and Annual Meeting, 2003. 2003Research Poster Award, Most Outstanding Research Poster

2007 - SA Science Excellence Awards 2007. Finalist for Science Education andCommunication Excellence, The SA Committee for the Australian Society forMedical Research

2013 - Australian Society for Medical Research SA Leading Light Award – Semi-finalist

2015  - South Australian Medical Scientists Association Professional Development Award

Key responsibilities
  • Head of The Lung Lab
  • Joint Head of the Radon Research Facility
  • Chair, Animal Welfare Committee
  • Clinical Translation Theme Mentor, Higher Degrees by Research Committee, College of Medicine and Public Health
  • Principle Medical Scientist, Intensive Care Unit, Flinders Medical Centre
Teaching interests

Assoc. Prof. Dixon teaches undergraduate students through the 3rd year placement program of the B Med Sci, as well as honours, MD and PhD students. Student projects focus on various forms of lung injury, through acute to chronic, and resulting from all causes, including bacterial and viral infections, systemic inflammatory states, environmental and mechanical, or clinical intervention, injury. Her particular interest and expertise lies in the area of innate immunology and the contribution of leukocytes and inflammatory mediators to both damage and repair within the lung.

Supervisory interests
Acute lung injury
Bronchiolitis
Critical care medicine
Heart failure
Innate immunity
Intensive care
Paediatric immunology
Respiratory immunology
Respiratory mechanics
Higher degree by research supervision
Current
Principal supervisor: Acute effects of low dose radiation on the lung (1), Leukocyte polarisation in acute lung disease (1)
Completion
Associate supervisor: Fluid administration and the lung (1), Acute lung injury (1)
Higher degree by research student achievements
Dr Shailesh Bihari

Vice-Chancellor’s Prize for Doctoral Thesis Excellence - MAR 2016

Dr Shailesh Bihari

Finalist, Ross Wishart Award, SA ASMR - JUN 2013

Dr Alison Elder

Finalist Ross Wishart Award, SA ASMR - JUN 2011

Dr Shailesh Bihari

Clinicians Researcher Award - MAR 2013

Dr Alison Elder

Finalist Channel 9 Young Achiever Award - MAR 2013

Dr James McEvoy-May

Vice Chancellor's Prize for Doctoral Thesis Excellence - MAY 2021