About Us

Background

I am a Senior Scientist at Barwon Health and a Paediatric Research Fellow at Deakin University.

I completed my Masters in Biological Psychology in Tel Aviv University, Israel, in 2009. I then moved to Australia where I undertook my PhD in Neuroimmunology at the University of Newcastle. After the award of my PhD in 2014, I undertook a postdoctoral position at RMIT University, Melbourne where I developed my research program in the field of psychoneuroimmunology, before joining Barwon Health and Deakin University in 2021.

Research Focus

My research interests are within the field of neuroimmune and neuroendocrine interactions in health and disease, with a focus on the role of immune challenges, diet and stress in disease programming.

My work has demonstrated that lifestyle challenges induce lasting inflammation, disrupting mental, reproductive and metabolic health, highlighting the need for the development of novel approaches to improve health of the most vulnerable to such challenges.

Leveraging my preclinical expertise and interests in neuroimmunology of female health, I am now leading research where I am integrating basic science with population-based human studies to identify novel and relevant targets for the prevention of perinatal depression and anxiety.

Awards & Achivements

• Chief investigator on the NHMRC-EU Joint Programme on Neurodegenerative Disease Research (2022-2024)
• Previous research funding from the Endocrine Society of Australia, Dementia Australia Research Foundation, Multiple Sclerosis Research Australia, and the CASS Foundation.
• RMIT University Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence – Early Career Researcher (2018) and Vice-Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship (2017-2019)

 

Feature Publications

• Xavier S, Soch A, Malik S, Younesi S, Spencer SJ, Sominsky L. 2021. Maternal diet before and during pregnancy modulates microglial activation and neurogenesis in the postpartum rat brain. Brain Behavior and Immunity. 98; 185-197.

• Xavier S, Gili J, McGowan P, Younesi S, Wright PFA, Walker DW, Spencer SJ, Sominsky L. 2021. High Maternal Omega-3 Supplementation Dysregulates Body Weight and Leptin in Newborn Male and Female Rats: Implications for Hypothalamic Developmental Programming. Nutrients, 13, 89.

• Younesi S, Spencer SJ, Sominsky L. 2021. Monocyte perturbation modulates the ovarian response to an immune challenge. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. 536: 1, 111418.

• Di Natale M, Soch A, Ziko I, De Luca S, Spencer SJ, Sominsky L. (2019) Chronic predator stress in female mice reduces primordial follicle numbers: implications for the role of ghrelin. Journal of Endocrinology. 1.

• Sominsky L, Hodgson DM, McLaughlin EA, Smith R, Wall HM, Spencer SJ. (2017) Linking stress and infertility: a novel role for ghrelin. Endocrine Reviews 38:5, 432–467.

• Sominsky L, Spencer SJ (2014) Eating behaviour and stress: a pathway to obesity. Frontiers in Psychology. 5(434).

 

How you can help

Donate

Research requires ongoing investment and there are several ways to support our work. You can make a donation today and contribute to an item on our research group’s wish list, consider a bequest in your will, or establish a lasting legacy fund in your name. No matter what size, your philanthropic support will deliver an immediate impact to this important work. To donate now or for more information, please contact the Barwon Health Foundation.