Rate My Professor Sarah Hiles

Dr Sarah Hiles is a lecturer in the School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Newcastle, Australia. She earned her PhD in 2014 and Bachelor of Psychology from the same institution, with her thesis investigating the inflammatory hypothesis of depression under the supervision of Professors Amanda Baker and John Attia. Her research centers on health psychology and psychosomatic medicine, particularly the interplay between mental and physical health. Initial studies examined links between depression, inflammatory biomarkers, and cardiometabolic risks, while recent projects address severe asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and gastrointestinal health, emphasizing evidence-based interventions for clinical and policy applications.

A former EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow and Australian Endeavour Research Fellow at VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam, Hiles also served as a Research Associate in the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Newcastle. She has authored over 35 peer-reviewed journal articles and a book chapter, including highly influential works such as “A systematic review and meta-analysis of dietary patterns and depression in community-dwelling adults” (2014), “Physical activity protects from incident anxiety: A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies” (2019), and “Treatable traits: a new paradigm for 21st century management of chronic airway diseases” (2019). Hiles has obtained grants exceeding $300,000, including the 2022 Women in Research Fellowship. Notable awards encompass the Priority Research Centre for Healthy Lungs Early Career Award (2018), Jennie Thomas Medical Research Travel Grant (2018), and Young Investigator Scholar from the American Psychosomatic Society (2016). She mentors PhD students, creates resources for clinicians, participates in early- to mid-career researcher committees, and her research informs international guidelines like the Global Initiative for Asthma.