Alicia Dennis

I am an academic clinician researcher anesthesiologist, Fulbright Scholar and the 2025 Australian and New Zealand Douglas Joseph Professor of Anaesthesia. I hold Professor appointments in the Department of Critical Care, The University of Melbourne, and Deakin University, and am a professor and research collaborator at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston US. I introduced transthoracic echocardiography for managing critically ill pregnant people including those with preeclampsia. My physiological research work in preeclampsia has developed a new model of preeclampsia fundamentally linked to a fetal/maternal oxygen supply demand mismatch with the fetus (not the placenta) as the central cause for the development of the hypertension (Dennis Castro 2014).

I undertake corporate citizenship roles at my places of work and volunteering roles with medical colleges, societies and government, advocating for pregnant people and promoting clinical, research and educational excellence. Underpinning this is my strong sense of justice, ethics, respect, and collaboration.

I have mentored anaesthesia trainees and early career consultants who have undertaken unique research studies including PhDs and MDs. Under my supervision they have been awarded 18 national and international prizes including seven people being awarded The National Kevin McCaul Prize by the Australian Society of Anaesthetists for excellence in obstetric anaesthesia research (2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024).

I believe that the best outcomes for pregnant people are linked to healthy professionals, working safely together, driven by shared understandings, integrity, intelligence, kindness, a strong sense of personal responsibility, critical thinking, courage and freedom.