Maree Gleeson is an Australian immunologist. Her research has focused on

respiratory The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies gr ...

immunology Immunology is a branch of biology and medicine that covers the study of Immune system, immune systems in all Organism, organisms. Immunology charts, measures, and contextualizes the Physiology, physiological functioning of the immune system in ...

in children and elite athletes. She has held multiple leadership positions within the health sector in the Hunter Region in NSW.

Education

Gleeson completed a Bachelor Science (Biochemistry) at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

and a PhD (Pathology) at the University of Newcastle.

Career

Gleeson has had a forty-year research career, predominantly undertaken as a Conjoint Professor of the University of Newcastle. Her research has focused on mucosal immunity in children and the impacts of respiratory illness on predisposition to allergies and

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

, as well as for

sudden infant death syndrome Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), sometimes known as cot death or crib death, is the sudden unexplained death of a child of less than one year of age. Diagnosis requires that the death remain unexplained even after a thorough autopsy and ...

. Working with the

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...

, she has also studied the control and causes of

respiratory illness Respiratory diseases, or lung diseases, are pathological conditions affecting the organs and tissues that make gas exchange difficult in air-breathing animals. They include conditions of the respiratory tract including the trachea, bronchi, bron ...

in elite athletes. Gleeson later collaborated with the

Australian Antarctic Division The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) is a division of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment & Water. The division undertakes science programs and research projects to contribute to an understanding of Antarctica and the S ...

to investigate the effect of expeditions in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

and the effects on immunity. Gleeson has held multiple leadership positions in health policy, health services, medical research and academia. In 2002, after three decades working in diagnostic immunology services, she became the Director of Immunology for the Hunter Area Pathology Service. In 2004, she became the Inaugural Director of Medical Research in the New South Wales Ministry for Science and Medical Research. From 2006 to 2011, Gleeson was Director of the Hunter Medical Research Institute, which is a joint venture between Hunter New England Health and the University of Newcastle. Upon her departure from this role, the University of Newcastle Council conferred upon Gleeson the status of emeritus Professor. Gleeson has also sat as a non-executive director on multiple boards:

Hunter Water Corporation Hunter Water is a state owned corporation providing drinking water, wastewater, recycled water and some stormwater services to 500,000 people in the Lower Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia. It was formed in 1892, when the Hunter Distr ...

, Central Coast Local Health District, Hunter Valley Research Foundation, and New South Wales Health Pathology.

Awards, honours, and recognition

*2016 Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales *2011 Medal of the Order of Australia *2011 Hunter Business Chamber's Businessperson of the Year Award *2002 Immunology and Cell Biology publication of the year for 2001

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gleeson, Maree Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Australian immunologists University of Sydney alumni University of Newcastle (Australia) alumni Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Fellows of the Royal Society of New South Wales Academic staff of the University of Newcastle (Australia)