Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
A/Prof. Wallace leads the Lung Development research group in The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research. She is also an award-wining educator. She is the Director of Medical Student Research at Monash Medical School and academic lead for undergraduate Biomedical Science teaching and Continuing Professional Development in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, at Monash University.
Survival at the time of birth depends on the lungs being adequately developed. Before birth the placenta performs the role of gas exchange for the fetus, but the moment that the umbilical cord is cut, the lung must take on the role of gas exchange, a role that it has never performed before. If the lung does not perform this role adequately, the newborn infant may die or may suffer significant damageto the brain or other organs, due to a lack of oxygen. If babies are born before the lungs are adequately developed, they often require respiratory support, which is necessary for their survival but it can injure the lungs and cause them to develop abnormally. This abnormal lung development is called Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) and it is thought to be permanent.
Megan's research is aimed at identifying the mechanisms by which the lung develops normally, by which lung injury leads to BPD and trialling new therapies to accelerate normal lung development and prevent abnormal lung development. Megan collaborates widely with other researchers in the Ritchie Centre, the Dept's of Biochemistry and Physics at Monash University and with Obstetricians and Neonatologists internationally and nationally, to achieve these aims.
Megan also has an emerging area of educational research. In her role as the Director of Medical Student Research, Megan is responsible for the "Scholarly Intensive Placement (SIP) unit in the final year of the Monash BMedSc/MD degree (~ 500 students/yr), the Honours degree for medical students (BMedSc(Hons); ~ 60 students/yr) and overseeing the intercalated MD-PhD pathway. In the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Megan runs an extremely successful undergraduate unit (BME3082; Fetal and Neonatal Development) for Biomedical Science and Science students (~140 students/year) which consistently ranks in the top 10% of units at Monash University. She also runs short courses for health professionals working in Women's Health (~ 10 short courses/year).
Megan is an author on >100 publications and has been a Chief or Principle Investigator on >60 successful grants. She has supervised 12 PhD/Masters students to completion and 25 Honours students (23 received H1 and 7 were the highest ranked students in their cohort). In 2024 Megan received the inaugural Dean's Award for Excellence in Education - Educational Leadership.
Research area keywords
- Lung Development
- bronchopulmonary dysplasia
- glucocorticoids
- Fetal & Neonatal Physiology
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 1 No Poverty
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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SDG 4 Quality Education
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Reducing the burden of respiratory distress after caesarean delivery.
Crossley, K. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Hooper, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Kitchen, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), te Pas, A. B. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Wallace, M. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Tran, N. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Polglase, G. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Thió-Lluch, M. (Associate Investigator (AI))
1/01/23 → 31/12/26
Project: Research
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A new therapy to mature preterm lungs without damaging the brain
Gatford, K. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Morrison, J. L. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Stark, M. J. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Tai, A. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Wiese, M. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Wallace, M. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Cole, T. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Clifton, V. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Darby, J. R. T. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Meakin, A. (Associate Investigator (AI))
1/01/23 → 31/12/23
Project: Research
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Novel selective steroid prodrugs to improve survival of preterm babies and reduce abnormal postnatal brain development
Cole, T. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Wallace, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), De Franco, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Nichols-Monaghan, P. (Chief Investigator (CI))
1/01/23 → 31/10/24
Project: Research
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Pilot study - Testing the first treatment to protect babies of asthmatic women from lung disease
Gatford, K. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Morrison, J. L. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Stark, M. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Tai, A. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Muhlhausler, B. S. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Bischof, R. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Clifton, V. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Moss, T. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Wallace, M. (Associate Investigator (AI))
1/01/20 → 31/12/21
Project: Research
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Novel selective glucocorticoid receptor agonists to treat lung immaturity and dysfunction of preterm birth
Cole, T. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)) & Wallace, M. (Chief Investigator (CI))
1/01/20 → 31/12/22
Project: Research
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Optimising CPAP and oxygen levels to support spontaneous breathing in preterm rabbits
Cannata, E. R., Crossley, K. J., McGillick, E. V., Wallace, M. J., Croughan, M. K., Jurkschat, D., Cramer, S. J. E., te Pas, A. B., Hooper, S. B. (Leading Author) & Kitchen, M. J., Mar 2026, In: Pediatric Research. 99, 4, p. 1583–1590 8 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access6 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
3DMPR – a robust morphological approach for applying phase retrieval in proximity to highly attenuating objects in computed tomography
Pollock, J. A., Croton, L. C. P., Morgan, K., Crossley, K. J., Wallace, M. J., Buckley, G. A., Hooper, S. B. & Kitchen, M. J., Sept 2025, In: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation. 32, 5, p. 1319-1327 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
A small constant external negative pressure improves lung aeration at birth in rabbit kittens with a diaphragmatic hernia
Riddington, P. J. (Leading Author), DeKoninck, P. L. J., Davies, I. M., Jurkschat, D., Wallace, M. J., Dekker, J., te Pas, A. B., Kitchen, M. J., Hooper, S. B. & Crossley, K. J. (Leading Author), Aug 2025, In: Journal of Applied Physiology. 139, 2, p. 582-593 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
Effect of prenatal diaphragmatic hernia on pulmonary arterial morphology
Stainsby, A. V., DeKoninck, P. L. J., Crossley, K. J., Thiel, A., Wallace, M. J., Pearson, J. T., Kashyap, A. J., Croughan, M. K., Allison, B. A., Hodges, R., Thio, M., Flemmer, A. W., McGillick, E. V., te Pas, A. B., Hooper, S. B. & Kitchen, M. J., Apr 2025, In: Anatomical Record. 308, 4, p. 1082-1093 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access12 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
External negative pressure improves lung aeration in near-term rabbit kittens at risk of developing respiratory distress
Diedericks, C., Crossley, K. J., Jurkschat, D., Wallace, M. J., Davies, I. M., Riddington, P. J., te Pas, A. B., Kitchen, M. J. & Hooper, S. B. (Leading Author), 15 Jan 2025, In: Frontiers in Pediatrics. 12, 16 p., 1526603.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access2 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)