Rate My Professor Deborah Hodgson

Emeritus Professor Deborah Hodgson is a highly respected neuroimmunologist at the University of Newcastle, School of Science (Psychology), College of Engineering, Science and Environment. She joined the University in 1998 and advanced to key leadership positions, including Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) and Director of the Laboratory of Neuroimmunology. Professor Hodgson holds a PhD and a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) Honours degree from Macquarie University and is a registered psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. Her research investigates the role of early life events in neuroendocrine and immune development, brain-immune communication pathways, fetal programming, perinatal stress impacts on physiological and psychological health outcomes, stress-induced analgesia, and psychoneuroimmunology. She has facilitated major international collaborations with partners in the USA, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, the Netherlands, and the UK.

Professor Hodgson has authored over 90 refereed journal papers and two books: 'Perinatal Programming: Early-Life Determinants of Adult Health and Disease' (2006, co-edited with C.L. Coe) and 'Medical Management of Eating Disorders' (2004). Key publications include 'Sexually dimorphic developmental changes in rat spinal cord pain pathways following neonatal inflammation' (Physiological Reports, 2025), 'The medulla oblongata shows a sex-specific inflammatory response to systemic neonatal lipopolysaccharide' (Journal of Neuroimmunology, 2024), 'Contextualised Processing of Stimuli Modulates Auditory Mismatch Responses in the Rat' (Clinical EEG and Neuroscience, 2024), 'The effect of schizophrenia risk factors on mismatch responses in a rat model' (Psychophysiology, 2023), and 'Neonatal immune challenge influences the microbiota and behaviour in a sexually dimorphic manner' (Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 2022). She received the Post Doctoral Norman Cousins Fellowship in 1993 at UCLA. Professor Hodgson contributed to various committees, including school executive, postgraduate, faculty research and training, equity, and university ethics committees, enhancing research training, equity, and innovation at the University.