Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman recruited to lead the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney

(Press-News.org) Following an extensive worldwide search, Dr. Leanne Redman has been appointed Academic Director of the Charles Perkins Centre, the University of Sydney’s first and largest multidisciplinary research initiative. 

A Professor of Clinical Science, Dr. Redman currently holds a number of positions at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center including the LPFA Endowed Chair in Nutrition and Associate Executive Director for Scientific Education. Over the past twenty years, she has pioneered groundbreaking research on women’s health issues, including the study of obesity in pregnancy, the optimisation of maternal nutrition and childhood obesity prevention. 

Born in Australia, Redman graduated from Southern Cross University with a Bachelor of Human Movement Science with Honors before gaining her PhD from the University of Adelaide in 2004 and a Master of Clinical Research in 2011 whilst in the U.S. from Tulane University. 

“Ever since the CPC was established in 2012, I have maintained a keen eye on its progress and expansion. When it opened, I distinctly remember feeling – for the first time since leaving Australia for a US postdoctoral fellowship in 2003 – that the CPC would be the place to call me home someday,” Dr. Redman said. “By pairing more than two decades of rich academic training and success in translational research in the U.S. with my passion for making life-long impacts to the health of the worlds people through teaching, research and discoveries, I am excited by the opportunity to lead this successful cross-disciplinary Centre toward a future of strong strategic alliances and collaborations within the university, Australia and worldwide.” 

At Pennington Biomedical, Dr. Redman’s work has focused on how diet and physical activity influence body composition and energy metabolism: she has designed and conducted clinical trials with manipulations to diet and physical activity to study the body energy stores and how they are defended by the body’s metabolism. The goal of her research is to understand the mechanisms of obesity development and to develop effective interventions for treatment and prevention. 

Pennington Biomedical Executive Director Dr. John Kirwan said, “Dr. Redman has been a pioneer in developing and testing innovative e-health technologies, including smartphone apps that help people meet national dietary and exercise guidelines. She's also now at the forefront of precision nutrition research, working alongside her mentor, Dr. Eric Ravussin, at Pennington Biomedical as a primary investigator on the Nutrition for Precision Health study – the largest precision nutrition effort to date aimed at understanding how our bodies respond differently to food. Her genuine curiosity about human health and her dedication to mentoring the next generation of scientists have left an indelible mark on everyone fortunate enough to work alongside her. I know she will achieve her goals as the new Academic Director to expand the local impact and international footprint of research and discoveries on obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.” 

As Director of the Nutrition Obesity Research Center and Professor of Reproductive Endocrinology and Women’s Health, Dr. Redman’s research focuses on the transmission of obesity between generations. She has published more than 300 research articles, reviews and book chapters on themes including diet, exercise, obesity and pregnancy and her work cited more than 28,000 times. 

Earlier this year she won the American Society for Nutrition’s McCollum Award, given to a clinical investigator being recognised as a major creative force and actively generating new concepts in nutrition. This award joined her prior recognitions as the TOPS Award from The Obesity Society in 2023, two national mentoring awards and the LSU Presidential Laurels Medal in 2023. 

“Dr Redman joined my group as a postdoctoral fellow in 2005 to work on a NIH landmark study (CALERIE), investigating the impact of caloric restriction on biomarkers of aging,” said Dr. Ravussin, LSU Boyd Professor and Douglas L. Gordon Chair in Diabetes and Metabolism. “Very early on, Leanne undertook her independent studies in women’s health and went through all the academic rankings from Instructor to Professor in a record time being a full Professor at age 40. Even more impressively, she excelled in writing prestigious grants, for which most got funded and she became a sought-after mentor for her enriching lab culture created for her trainees. Her departure will leave a long-lasting loss for our institution but is a blessing for the Charles Perkins Centre.” 

Dr. Redman will take up her new role at the Charles Perkins Centre on Feb. 9, 2026. She follows in the footsteps of inaugural director, Professor Steve Simpson, who stepped down from the role of Inaugural Academic Director at the end of March after 13 years. 

Professor Kathy Belov, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global and Research Engagement), said, “Leanne’s research record makes her a perfect fit for the Charles Perkins Centre. She’s a respected and experienced academic leader who is prepared to be innovative and to challenge accepted ways of doing things. I can’t wait for Leanne to start work and steer the CPC in a new strategic direction coming out of its recent Five-Year Review.” 

Professor Belov also thanked Professors Natasha Nassar and David James, who have led the Charles Perkins Centre as interim co-Academic Directors since April this year. 

The Charles Perkins Centre’s mission is to ease the burden of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease and their related conditions. Since its inception in 2012, the Centre has adopted principles from evolutionary biology and ecology to bring together multidisciplinary teams in unexpected collaborations – from clinicians and basic scientists to writers and philosophers. These teams form part of a complex adaptive research and education ecosystem. The CPC’s ability to harness the energy and solutions-focused outcomes of cross-disciplinary and collaborative teams has led to significant real-world impact and translation. 

The CPC works closely with the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney Local Health District, and related faculties, units, and services on campus. Other research and commercial partners include NSW Health, Qantas, World Health Organization, Heart Research Institute, Sydney Health Partners, Obesity Australia, and international universities including the University of Glasgow and the University of Copenhagen. 

About the Pennington Biomedical Research Center 
The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is at the forefront of medical discovery as it relates to understanding the triggers of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and dementia. Pennington Biomedical has the vision to lead the world in promoting nutrition and metabolic health and eliminating metabolic disease through scientific discoveries that create solutions from cells to society. The center conducts basic, clinical, and population research, and is a campus in the LSU System. 

The research enterprise at Pennington Biomedical includes over 600 employees within a network of 44 clinics and research laboratories, and 16 highly specialized core service facilities. Its scientists and physician/scientists are supported by research trainees, lab technicians, nurses, dietitians, and other support personnel. Pennington Biomedical is a globally recognized state-of-the-art research institution in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  

For more information, see www.pbrc.edu.  

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