Robyn Woods

Robyn Woods BSc (Hons), PhD is Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine (DEPM), within the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University. She is also the Executive Director of the ASPREE (ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly) clinical trial, which is the largest primary prevention trial to be undertaken in Australia (>16,700 participants aged 70+ years), and is director of the large ancillary study, the ASPREE Healthy Ageing Biobank.

A/Prof Woods has more than 100 research publications.  She played a pivotal role in securing the large NIH grant for ASPREE, including bridge funding for the ASPREE-XT follow-on study, the ASPREE-AMD sub-study funding from the US National Eye Institute, and the CSIRO and US National Cancer Institute funding for the ASPREE Healthy Ageing Biobank.  She played a key role in securing funding from the Victorian Cancer Agency and for two large NHMRC equipment grants for ASPREE related projects into regional Victoria. She is currently a chief investigator on NHMRC grants including ASPREE-Depression, ASPREE Completion and ASPREE Cancer Endpoints and was a chief investigator on recently completed NHMRC-funded sub-studies of ASPREE including SNORE-ASA, ANTI-SEPSIS and Age-Related Macular Degeneration. She was an associate investigator on other NHMRC-funded sub-studies including ENVISion, Falls & Fractures and ASPREE-NEURO. She manages the linkages between ASPREE and all sub-studies and is a member of all Steering and Management Committees for the ASPREE Project, including each sub-study. She is also a member of executive management committees for the Monash School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine.

A/Prof Woods trained as a physiologist with special research interests in the homeostatic integration of the cardiovascular, endocrine, renal and neural systems and how their regulation is altered in pathophysiology. She established and supervised research laboratories, focused on basic animal physiology research and peptide analysis, at the Baker (15 years) and the Florey (8 years) Institutes. For much of this time she was an NHMRC Research Fellow, conducting seminal work on the physiology of the natriuretic peptides.

In 2006, A/Prof Woods made the transition to epidemiology and clinical research where she has executive responsibility for the ASPREE Clinical Trial, the ASPREE Healthy Ageing Biobank, and is the Chief Investigator linking all the ancillary studies within the ASPREE project. Research areas covered by the large ASPREE project include older onset cardiovascular disease, cancer, dementia, eye disease, depression, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, brain changes identified by MRI, aspirin & androgens in older women and the role of aspirin and inflammation in these key health areas.

A/Prof Woods was awarded the Howard Florey Medal for her contributions to animal welfare and ethics. She received the President's Award from the National Heart Foundation for services to the peer review processes in Australia.  She has supervised 2 PhD and 8 Honours students to successful completion and currently supervises 4 PhD candidates.