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  • Dr Aisling Smyth

    Dr Aisling Smyth

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Associate Professor Aisling Heavey

Adjunct Associate Professor

Staff Member Details
Email: aisling.smyth@ecu.edu.au
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9793-6395

Dr Aisling Heavey is an Adjunct Associate Professor and Research Scholar specialising anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology. Aisling  supervises HDR students within the School of Nursing & Midwifery and her research interests are centred on investigating the role of sleep in health and disease.

Professional Associations

  • Sigma Theta Tau International
  • Australian Association of Gerontology

Awards and Recognition

  • 2020: Sigma Theta Tau: Emerging Nurse Leader
  • 2020: Emerging Researchers in Ageing (ERA) bursary for the 53rd Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG) Conference
  • 2018: ECU SNM Excellence in Teaching award
  • ECU Athena SWAN Advancement Scheme (Kickstart Science Prize)
  • 2015: ECU Faculty grant recipient.

Research Areas and Interests

  • Sleep in Health and Disease

Aisling's research portfolio is dedicated to investigating the role of sleep in health and disease. She has researched the impact of sleep in a variety of populations and in regards to a variety of chronic conditions including sleep in caregiving, the impact of sleep in diabetes and sleep in the clinical setting. Aisling is co-founder of the ECU Collaborative Sleep Research Group. She supervises a number of M.Sc and PhD students.

Other publications

  • Smyth, A. (2016). Adjuvant corticosteroid therapy for acute bacterial meningitis. AJN The American Journal of Nursing, 116(10), 63. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000503309.83251.e4
  • McMorrow JP., Crean, D., Gogarty, M.,Smyth, A., Connolly, M., Cummins, E., Veale, D., Fearon, U., Tak, P., Fitzgerald, O., Murphy, E., (2013),Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibition Modulates Thrombospondin-1 Expression in Human Inflammatory Joint Disease through Altered NR4A2 Activity.The American Journal of Pathology,183(4),1243-1257
  • Mix, KS., McMahon, K., McMorrow, JP., Walkenhorst, DE.,Smyth, A., Petrella, B., Gogarty, M., Fearon, U., Veale, D., Attur, MG., Abramson, SB., Murphy, EP., (2012),Orphan Nuclear Receptor NR4A2 Induces Synoviocyte Proliferation, Invasion, and Matrix Metalloproteinase 13 Transcription.Arthritis and Rheumatism,64(7),2126-2136,United States, DOI: 10.1002/art.34399.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy (Veterinary Medicine), Ireland, 2015.
  • Master of Science, Biomedical Science, Northern Ireland, 2010.
  • Bachelor of Science Third Class Honours General Nursing, Ireland, 2008.

Research Outputs

2024

Journal Articles

  • McPhillips, MV., Petrovsky, DV., Lorenz, R., Lee, J., George, T., Heavey, A., Bubu, OM., Brewster, GS. (2024). Treatment Modalities for Insomnia in Adults Aged 55 and Older: A Systematic Review of Literature from 2018 to 2023. Current Sleep Medicine Reports, 2024(Article in press), TBD. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40675-024-00285-w.

2021

Journal Articles

  • Mosavat, M., Arabiat, D., Heavey, A., Newnham, J., Whitehead, L. (2021). Second-trimester maternal serum vitamin D and pregnancy outcome: The Western Australian Raine cohort study. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, 175(May 2021), Article number 108779. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diabres.2021.108779.
  • Mosavat, M., Mitsanjari, M., Arabiat, D., Heavey, A., Whitehead, L. (2021). The Role of Sleep Curtailment on Leptin Levels in Obesity and Diabetes Mellitus. Obesity Facts: the European journal of obesity, 14(2), 214 - 221. https://doi.org/10.1159/000514095.

2020

Journal Articles

  • Mosavat, M., Heavey, A., Arabiat, D., Whitehead, L. (2020). Vitamin D and sleep duration: Is there a bidirectional relationship?. Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical Investigation, 41(4), Article Number 20200025. https://doi.org/10.1515/hmbci-2020-0025.
  • Heavey, A., Whitehead, L., Quigley, E., Vafeas, C., Emery, L. (2020). Disrupted sleep and associated factors in Australian dementia caregivers: a cross sectional study. BMC Geriatrics, 20(1), Article number 312. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-020-01726-1.
  • Heavey, A., Jenkins, M., Dunham, M., Kutzer, Y., Taheri, S., Whitehead, L. (2020). Systematic review of clinical practice guidelines to identify recommendations for sleep in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Management. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, 170(December 2020), Article number 108532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diabres.2020.108532.

2019

Journal Articles

  • Heavey, A., Gogarty, M., Crean, D., Murphy, E. (2019). Subcellular Localization of NR4A2 Orphan Nuclear Receptor Expression in Human and Mouse Synovial Joint Tissue. Methods in Molecular Biology, 1966(2019), 17-26. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9195-2_3.

2016

Journal Articles

  • Cope, V., Sundin, D., Heavey, A., Wang, C., Baum, G., Ewens, B., Foxall, F. (2016). The hidden benefits of writing retreats: Academic development and social interaction for nurses. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 6(11), 73-79. https://doi.org/10.5430/jnep.v6n11p73.
  • Ewens, B., Geale, S., Vafeas, C., Foxall, F., Loessl, B., Heavey, A., McCafferty, C. (2016). Humanising the curriculum: The role of a Virtual World. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 6(12), 80-88. https://doi.org/10.5430/jnep.v6n12p80.

2013

Journal Articles

  • McMorrow, JP., Crean, D., Gogarty, M., Heavey, A., Connolly, M., Cummins, E., Veale, D., Fearon, U., Tak, P., Fitzgerald, O., Murphy, E. (2013). Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibition Modulates Thrombospondin-1 Expression in Human Inflammatory Joint Disease through Altered NR4A2 Activity. The American Journal of Pathology, 183(4), 1243-1257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpath.2013.06.029.

2012

Journal Articles

  • Mix, KS., McMahon, K., McMorrow, JP., Walkenhorst, DE., Heavey, A., Petrella, B., Gogarty, M., Fearon, U., Veale, D., Attur, MG., Abramson, SB., Murphy, EP. (2012). Orphan Nuclear Receptor NR4A2 Induces Synoviocyte Proliferation, Invasion, and Matrix Metalloproteinase 13 Transcription. Arthritis and Rheumatism, 64(7), 2126-2136. https://doi.org/10.1002/art.34399.

Research Projects

  • Developing a sleep intervention for caregivers of people living with dementia, Australian Association of Gerontology, AAG - R M Gibson Scientific Research Fund, 2020 ‑ 2023, $6,364.
  • Expanding the evidence base for early dementia intervention programs, Edith Cowan University, ECU Industry Engagement Grant, 2019 ‑ 2021, $45,052.
  • Is altered glucose homeostasis correlated with disrupted sleep among dementia carers?, Edith Cowan University, ECU Early Career Researcher Grant - 2018, 2018 ‑ 2020, $30,000.

Research Student Supervision

Current Supervisions

No data available

Completed Supervisions

Associate Supervisor

  • Doctor of Philosophy, The role of sleep duration and quality in vitamin D metabolism and their assocition with glucose homeostasis in pregnancy
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