Dr Tracey Bjorkman is a developmental neurobiologist and leads the Neonatal Brain Injury & Repair Research Group. Dr Bjorkman is a member of the Perinatal Research Centre and Clinical Neuroscience Theme at UQCCR. 

More than 300,000 families are blessed each year in Australia with the arrival of a new baby. But for some, pregnancy and birth can be catastrophic when things do not go according to plan.

When the developing brain is starved of oxygen and blood supply, babies are at significant risk of brain damage and seizures which can lead to life-long neurological disabilities including cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Complications during birth (birth asphyxia), being born too early (prematurity), or when the fetus does not grow (intrauterine growth restriction), increases the chance of brain injury and poor neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Our research focuses on combining an understanding of the pathways that are activated when brain injury occurs, and the development and evaluation of neuroprotective therapies specific to the newborn brain.


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