Rate My Professor Cara Hildreth

Associate Professor Cara Hildreth is a biomedical researcher in the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences at Macquarie University, where she holds the position of Associate Dean Curriculum and Learning in the Macquarie Medical School. She previously served as Course Director for the Bachelor of Clinical Sciences in the Department of Biomedical Sciences. Hildreth earned her PhD from the Australian School of Advanced Medicine. Her research focuses on autonomic neuroscience, particularly the central neural control of blood pressure in chronic kidney disease and polycystic kidney disease. Key projects include investigating molecular pathways driving vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease, the role of polycystic kidney disease gene mutations in central cardiovascular dysfunction, brain-induced hypertension via hormones in inherited kidney disease, and stress-induced brain changes leading to elevated vasopressin in polycystic kidney disease. She has secured funding from NHMRC Ideas Grants and PKD Australia for studies on innate threat detection circuits and brain mechanisms in polycystic kidney disease. Hildreth has authored or co-authored 64 research outputs, including peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Neuroendocrinology, Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, Frontiers in Physiology, Journal of Neurophysiology, and Journal of Functional Foods. Notable publications include 'Acute optogenetic activation of the subfornical organ produces sympathetically mediated increases in blood pressure' (2025), 'Differential cardiovascular risk profiles by sex among adults with CKD: a NHANES-based analysis' (2025), 'Impaired inhibitory reno-renal reflex responses in chronic kidney disease' (2025), 'Role of the Kölliker–Fuse/parabrachial complex in the generation of postinspiratory vagal and sympathetic nerve activities' (2024), and 'Synergistic effect of isoflavone-rich kudzu root extract and Inonotus obliquus on an induced diabetes model' (2024). Her work has an h-index of 15 and over 578 citations. In teaching, she employs innovative methods such as small group discussions, multimedia resources, and student-led revision sessions for neuroscience courses, earning recognition as a Teaching Mentor in 2020.