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You are warmly invited to attend the DOHaD ANZPac Conference 2026, bringing together researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and students from across Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific to advance the science of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD ANZPac). more info...
About
The DOHaD (Developmental Origins of Health and Disease) Society of Australia and New Zealand & Pacific is an organisation dedicated to improving the life-long health of every mother, father and child.
The society is made up of scientists, doctors, health workers and public health experts dedicated to studying how a healthy start to life can reduce the risk of developing many diseases, both now and in the future.
Pregnancy and early childhood are critical times of risk, where many different factors can influence development. But they are also critical times of opportunity, where healthy lifestyle behaviours can prevent the risk of future disease.
Common risk factors mean common solutions. Many diseases are associated with our modern lifestyle, suggesting common risk factors for many diseases. These include unhealthy dietary patterns, reduced physical activity, altered patterns of microbial exposure, tobacco smoking, harmful use of alcohol, and other environmental pollutants.
By working together, members of DOHaD ANZPac aim to reduce the growing burden of a broad range of modern diseases, and to improve health in the new millennium.
DOHaD ANZPac is a not-for-profit society overseen by a council of volunteer scientists and clinicians. It is an affiliate society of the international DOHAD Society.
DOHaD ANZPac Council
To view our Council Member's profiles, please visit the Council page.
President / Chairperson
A/Prof Deanne Hryciw
Past President
A/Prof Bev Muhlhausler
Treasurer
Dr Jessica Grieger
NSW Rep
Dr Edwina Dorney
NT REP
Gurmeet Singh
QLD REP
Gurmeet Singh
NZ Rep
Dr Jacqui Bay
NZ Rep
Dr Teresa Gontijo de Castro
Indigenous REP
Kym Rae
TAS Rep
Lieke Scheepers
SA Rep
Dr Jack Darby
WA REP
Jacqueline Davis
Member
Prof. John Bertram
SOCIAL MEDIA REP
Mia Percival
ECR REP
Natalie Hyde
- Prabha Andraweera
- Christie Bennett
- Karen Best
- Emily Camm
- Jeff Craig
- Peter Davies
- Belinda Davison
- Ofa Dewes
- Hayley Dickinson
- Alexandra George
- Erica Hagemann
- Kyoko Hasebe
- Jillian Hildreth
- Amy Loughman
- Erin McGillick
- Margaret Morris
- Ralph Nanan
- Susan Prescott
- Michael Skilton
- Clare Reynolds
- Mark Vickers
- Amy Wooldridge
- Mary Wlodek
DOHaD International
International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease: DOHaD
This international learned society aims to promote research into the fetal and developmental origins of health and disease.
The DOHaD concept is bringing new insights into the pathogenesis of disease. We now know that poor fetal growth and small size at birth are followed by increased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis. This has led to the hypothesis that these disorders originate through unbalanced nutrition in utero and during infancy. There is a range of experimental models for investigating the underlying biological mechanisms, and DOHaD is now a burgeoning research area in both basic and clinical sciences.
Research into developmental origins of health and disease now involves scientists from many backgrounds. This society promotes cohesion and shared knowledge between groups working in different specialties and different countries.