Prof Vicki Flenady AM

Professor Vicki Flenady AM is a Senior Research Fellow and leads the Stillbirth Research Group at Mater Research, with a team of eight researchers. She is the author of over 150 scientific publications, including several articles in two Lancet stillbirth series and over 20 Cochrane systematic reviews. Vicki’s research is currently focused on stillbirth prevention through better understanding of causal pathways and risk factors.

Vicki is also the lead investigator of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) in Stillbirth, which is a collaboration across six Australian universities with strong links to the perinatal clinical services and policy, and wide community research. The Stillbirth CRE aims at reducing stillbirth rates and improving care for parents whose child was stillborn, through undertaking high quality research that translates into improved clinical care, community awareness and outcomes. The four priority areas which drive the Stillbirth CRE research program are: 1) Improving understanding and decision-making for women with risk factors; 2) Developing novel approaches to identify women at increased risk including novel biomarkers; 3) Implementing best practice in care after stillbirth; improving care after stillbirth and in subsequent pregnancies; 4) Improving knowledge of causes and contributors to stillbirth. Vicki is also currently leading two large scale studies across 27 maternity hospitals in Australia and New Zealand; one focusing on a mobile phone app to reduce stillbirth rates.

Vicki has served on the Editorial Board for the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and was a member of the steering committees for two Lancet series on stillbirth and has served as the member of review panels for NMHRC CRE and Partnership grants. Vicki currently chairs the Scientific Committee of the International Stillbirth Alliance and was integral to the establishment of the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand’s Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Alliance (SANDA). As a member of SANDA, Vicki has led the development and updating of bi-national clinical guidelines on comprehensive clinical practice around perinatal death.

“I naturally transitioned from a clinical role as a midwife and neonatal nurse into research through my passion to ensure that the care provided to all women and newborns was based on the best available evidence. My research has evolved from my original interests in improving outcomes for preterm infants, then to perinatal mortality and finally to the perplexing and tragic loss of lives through unexplained stillbirth. I am passionate about ensuring a multidisciplinary approach that places the women and her family at the center of research to improve care. I am also committed to providing leadership in research that translates into better outcomes by nurturing the careers of the young researchers.”