Professor Georgina Hold
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION |
DEGREE (if applicable)
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Completion Date MM/YYYY
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FIELD OF STUDY
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University of Surrey, UK University of Glasgow, UK
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BSc (Hons) PhD |
07/1995 12/1999
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Biochemistry/Toxicology Molecular Microbial Ecology
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Professor Georgina Hold is a Professor of Gut Microbiology at the St George and Sutherland Clinical School, UNSW Australia.
Research Interests:
Understanding the impact of gastrointestinal microbes on human health and disease. In particular understanding the interactions between resident microbes and their host and how changes in the microbiota impact on human health. Developing greater understanding in this area allows us to further appreciate the contribution that gut microbes play in diseases and potentially develop therapeutic strategies to maintain and restore health. My lab has an internationally renowned reputation for microbiome analysis. This has been achieved by a) developing robust protocols for collecting and processing the most clinically relevant samples, and b) ensuring the science is clinically driven. The main challenges in gut microbiome research relate to defining the metabolic capabilities of the gut microbiota, the effect of therapeutic regimens on the gut microbiota and ultimately identifying how to manipulate these factors to promote/maintain health. This requires multi-disciplinary research strategies harnessing clinicians, microbiologists, nutritionists, epidemiologists, bioinformaticians and also public health analysts. To achieve this we collaborate with groups all over the world to ensure we bring together the skills sets required to address multi-faceted research questions.
Broad Areas of Research:
Inflammatory bowel disease
Gastrointestinal malignancy including liver cancer
Host/Microbial interactions
Microbial therapeutics
Qualifications:
BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry/Toxicology (1995)
PhD (1999)
Fulbright Scholar (2014-2015)
Senior Fellow Higher Education Authority (SFHEA UK)
Society Memberships & Professional Activities:
Member of the British Society of Gastroenterology
Member of the Scottish Society of Gastroenterology
Member of the Scottish Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Society
Member of the Society of General Microbiology (UK)
Member of the Society for Applied Microbiology (UK)
Visiting Scholar: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA; term July 2014 - 2021.
Honorary Academic Appointment, Aberdeen University; 2017 - 2021
Honorary Academic Appointment, University College London; 2014 - 2020
Specific Research Keywords:
Inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, gut microbiota, host microbial interactions, Campylobacter, microbial therapeutics
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
Dates |
Award holder(s) |
Funding body |
Title |
Value |
2019-2022 |
Hold, G.L. and El-Omar, E. |
Crohns and Colitis Australia |
Understanding changes in the gut microbiota following therapeutic intervention in IBD |
$75,000 |
2018/2019 |
Leong, R., Hold, G.L. /Sydney+ IBD research consortia |
GESA (Australian Gastroenterology Society) |
The Australian IBD Microbiome Study |
$50,000 |
2018/2019 |
Lemberg, D., Leach, S., Hold, G.L. and Dutt, S. |
Sydney Childrens Hospital Network |
The Australian IBD Microbiome Study |
$20,000 |
Fulbright Scholar, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston (2014-2015)
Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (2017)
My research focusses on understanding the impact of gastrointestinal microbes on human health and disease, with a specialist interest in inflammatory bowel disease. Developing greater understanding in this area allows us to further appreciate the contribution that gut microbes play in diseases and potentially develop therapeutic strategies to maintain and restore health. My lab has an internationally renowned reputation for microbiome analysis and host:microbial interactions. This has been achieved by a) developing robust protocols for collecting and processing the most clinically relevant samples, and b) ensuring the science is clinically driven. The main challenges in gut microbiome research relate to: 1) defining the point at which microbiota changes occur, which is in advance of clinical symptoms/disease presentation, 2) understanding the metabolic capabilities of the gut microbiota, 3) the effect of therapeutic regimens on the gut microbiota and ultimately identifying how to manipulate these factors to promote/maintain health. This requires multi-disciplinary research strategies harnessing clinicians, microbiologists, nutritionists, epidemiologists, bioinformaticians and also public health analysts. To achieve this, I collaborate with groups all over the world to ensure the skills sets required to address these multi-faceted research questions are brought together.
My Research Supervision
3 PhD students in areas relating to IBD, pregnancy and the microbiota