Lisa Akison

Dr. Lisa Akison is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Queensland. She holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science (Research) from the University of Sydney, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Medicine from the University of Adelaide, completed in 2013. Her early career included PhD research and postdoctoral training at the Robinson Institute, University of Adelaide, where she investigated the molecular regulation of ovulation and oviductal function. Upon joining the University of Queensland in 2015, her research shifted to the developmental origins of health and disease, employing rodent models—a methodology she has utilized for over 30 years. As a reproductive biologist since 2005, Dr. Akison specializes in the impacts of prenatal alcohol exposure on the embryo, fetus, and adult offspring, including the placenta's mediating role. Trained in systematic review and meta-analysis methodology in 2016, she has authored numerous reviews on child and infant health, including "Prenatal alcohol exposure and associations with physical size, dysmorphology and neurodevelopment: a systematic review and meta-analysis" (BMC Medicine, 2024), "Maternal choline supplementation in a rat model of periconceptional alcohol exposure: Impacts on the fetus and placenta" (2021), and contributions to the Australian Guidelines for Assessment and Diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (Medical Journal of Australia, 2026). Other significant works address physical health in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, 2025) and periconceptional ethanol effects on mitochondrial content (The Journal of Physiology, 2025). Her preclinical studies have influenced assessments at the University of Queensland Neurodevelopmental Clinic and revisions to Australian FASD guidelines.

Dr. Akison teaches critical appraisal of clinical studies, systematic review methodology, endocrinology, physiology, and histology to third-year biomedical science students. She is a member of the Biomedical Education Research Group in the School of Biomedical Sciences, with ongoing interests in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Research funding includes a Children's Hospital Foundation grant from 2020 to 2021 for choline interventions in periconceptional alcohol exposure models, and a 2018 University of Queensland Early Career Researcher grant. Highly cited publications such as "The impact of isolation measures due to COVID-19 on energy intake and physical activity levels in Australian university students" (2020, 535 citations) and "Obese women exhibit differences in ovarian metabolites, hormones, and gene expression compared with moderate-weight women" (2009, 511 citations) highlight her broader contributions to reproductive biology, metabolic health, and public health research.