Rate My Professor Hannah Palliser

Dr. Hannah Palliser is a Research Fellow in the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy within the College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing at the University of Newcastle, Australia. She is affiliated with the Mothers and Babies Research Centre and focuses on Pharmacy and Experimental Pharmacology. Palliser obtained her Doctor of Philosophy, Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Biomedical Science, and Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science from Monash University. Her professional career at the University of Newcastle commenced with a UON Research Fellowship in the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy from July 2007 to July 2012, leading to her current position as Research Fellow.

Palliser's research investigates the roles of neurosteroids in fetal and neonatal brain protection, particularly in guinea pig models of preterm birth, prenatal stress, and intrauterine growth restriction. Her work explores how perinatal compromises disrupt neurodevelopment in the cerebellum, hippocampus, and frontal cortex, resulting in myelination deficits, altered GABAergic and glutamatergic signaling, and behavioral disorders including hyperactivity, anxiety, and ADHD-like symptoms. She examines neurosteroid replacement therapies using analogues such as ganaxolone, zuranolone, tiagabine, and emapunil to restore oligodendrocyte maturation, myelination processes, and behavioral outcomes. With 72 publications and 1,479 citations, key contributions include 'Neurosteroid replacement therapy using tiagabine and zuranolone restores cerebellar neurodevelopment and reduces hyperactive behaviour following preterm birth' (Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, 2025), 'Neurosteroid replacement approaches for improving outcomes after compromised pregnancies and preterm birth' (Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 2025), 'Ganaxolone Therapy After Preterm Birth Restores Cerebellar Oligodendrocyte Maturation and Myelination in Guinea Pigs' (Developmental Psychobiology, 2024), 'Zuranolone therapy protects frontal cortex neurodevelopment and improves behavioral outcomes after preterm birth' (Brain and Behavior, 2024), and the chapter 'Neuropeptide Pathways Controlling the Timing of Birth' (2024). She has supervised PhD students and served as Chief Investigator on NHMRC grants.