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Professor Wendy Hoy

Professor of Medicine

Royal Brisbane Clinical Unit
Faculty of Medicine
w.hoy@uq.edu.au
+61 7 334 64809

Overview

Professor Wendy Hoy is Director of the Centre for Chronic Disease at the University of Queensland. She graduated from Telopea Park High School in Canberra, with the top score among leaving certificate students in NSW and the ACT. She graduated from Sydney University, with first class honours in Immunology (BScMed) and in Medicine and Surgery (MB BS). She worked for 20 years in the USA, before returning to Australia, and is board certified in Medicine and Nephrology in both countries.

She is recognised internationally for her multidisciplinary research into kidney and related chronic disease, particularly in high-risk populations, for which she received the NHMRC Australia Research Fellowship in 2009, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2010. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA), a member of the Academy’s Council (biomedical stream), and represents the Academy in the Health in All Policies, International Program.

She was among the first to describe kidney disease, independent of diabetes in Native Americans, in studies of Zuni and Rio Grande Pueblo Indians as well as Navaho and Apache Indians in the Southwest of the USA. She promotes an integrated view of non-communicable chronic diseases, and interpretation of health profiles in multi-determinant disease model frameworks. She was the first to demonstrate the contribution of low birthweight to kidney disease in Australia, manifest in remote living Australian Aborigines, drove demonstrations of birthweight’s effects on health profiles in the AuSDIAB study. She showed that screening and treatment of preterminal kidney disease in remote-living Australian Aboriginal reduces dialysis needs, deaths and costs; that work has helped transform Australian Aboriginal health services, and underpins many screening and treatment programs globally. She also evaluated preventative potential of pharmacologic treatment on the incidence of new onset chronic disease in currently unaffected people. She described the transformation of mortality in remote-living Aborigines over the last 50 years, and the links of that epidemiologic transition to current health profiles and population size and structure. She and colleagues have conducted the only nationwide study of kidney biopsies in Australia, defining the high rates of enlargement and scarring of kidney filters. They have also defined, in a 20-year study of the largest series of kidney autopsies in the world, encompassing five ethnic groups in three continents, the range of nephron numbers and glomerular volume in normal kidneys, and the structural features that mark heightened susceptibility to kidney disease and high blood pressure.

Current work includes investigations of low birthweight and prematurity as determinants of adult health, description of the Tiwi Aboriginal genome and the genetic architecture of chronic disease, APOL1-risk allele-associated disease in African-Americans, and links of chronic diseases to foetal alcohol exposure. She leads the longitudinal Tiwi Islands kidney project, now in its 27th year, tracking the ongoing epidemiologic transition and the expression of the DOHAD through the life course. She collaborates in several research projects led by other seasoned investigators across Australia. She is a consultant with PAHO and Central American agencies in relation to chronic disease (CKD) of unknown aetiology in Central America and a consultant with the WHO and the CKDu Research Task Force in Sri Lanka. She co-leads the Safe Water Coalition, which is collaborating with other agencies to optimise provision of safe, potable water to underserved remote Australian Indigenous communities. She leads the CKD.QLD Collaborative (2011-ongoing), Australia’s only state-wide CKD surveillance program, and the NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in CKD (2015-2020). CKD.QLD is a core member of the iNET-CKD, an international research collaborative of CKD cohorts based in the International Society of Nephrology.

Collaborations in Dr Hoy’s work span at least 19 research areas, in at least 16 countries and at least 20 institutions. In Australia they have been formed with Indigenous health services, state/territory and federal health agencies, research institutions, private enterprise and NGOs.

Dr Hoy has supervised/co-supervised 20 successful PhD completions, with many becoming prominent research and clinical leaders. She currently supervises seven PhD candidates, and has mentored many other students during electives. She is author/co-author of 307 peer reviewed manuscripts, and many working papers. She has contributed to 796 scientific presentations, and given more than 175 presentations as Invited speaker at international and national meetings. Her grant income in total is $AU62M, as a CI is $AU61M, and as a CIA is $AU40M.

Research Interests

  • Indigenous health research
  • Early determinants of adult health
  • Health systems modelling
  • Morphological and ultrastructural studies of the kidney
  • Chronic kidney disease of unknonw aetiology in Central America and Sri Lanka
  • Statewide surveillance of chronic kidney disease
  • Safe water

Qualifications

  • MBBS, The University of Sydney
  • Bachelor of Science Med, The University of Sydney

Publications

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Grants

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Supervision

  • An Aboriginal woman's journey to identify the outcomes of prenatal alcohol exposure and early life trauma in Indigenous children who live in Aboriginal communities in Queensland

    Doctor Philosophy

  • Development of an Australian nation-wide surveillance system for chronic kidney disease

    Doctor Philosophy

  • CKD.QLD: Establishment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) surveillance and research in Queensland, Australia

    Doctor Philosophy

View all Supervision

Available Projects

View all Available Projects

Publications

Book Chapter

  • Kidney disease among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia

    McDonald, Stephen and Hoy, Wendy (2017). Kidney disease among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. In Guillermo Garcia-Garcia, Lawrence Agodoa and Keith Norris (Ed.), Chronic kidney disease in disadvantaged populations (pp. 167-180) London, United Kingdom: Academic Press (Elsevier Inc). doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-804311-0.00018-2

  • Prematurity, low-birth weight and CKD

    Hoy, Wendy E., Mott, Susan A. and Nicol, Jennifer L. (2017). Prematurity, low-birth weight and CKD. In Guillermo Garcia-Garcia, Lawrence Agodoa and Keith Norris (Ed.), Chronic kidney disease in disadvantaged populations (pp. 229-249) London, United Kingdom: Academic Press (Elsevier Inc). doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-804311-0.00023-6

  • Variation in human nephron number and association with disease

    Bertram, John F., Hughson, Michael D., Puelles, Victor G. and Hoy, Wendy E. (2015). Variation in human nephron number and association with disease. In Melissa Little (Ed.), Kidney development, disease, repair and regeneration (pp. 167-175) London: Academic Press.

  • Chronic kidney disease in Aboriginal Australians

    Hoy, W. E., Kondalsamy-Chennakesavan, S., McDonald, S. P., Cass, A., Singh, G. R., Bertram, J. F. and Hughson, M. D. (2005). Chronic kidney disease in Aboriginal Australians. In M. E. L. Nahas (Ed.), Kidney Disease in Ethnic Minorities and the Developing World (pp. 305-333) New York, U.S.: Taylor & Francis.

  • Diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance in an Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory of Australia

    Hoy, W. E., Mathews, J. D., Hargrave, J. C. and Pugsley, D. J. (1996). Diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance in an Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory of Australia. In Aboriginal health, social and cultural transitions (pp. 44-48) Darwin, NT, Australia: Northern Territory University.

  • Treatment of end stage renal disease in Aborigines in the Top End of the Northern Territory

    Hoy, Wendy E., Pugsley, D., Hayhurst, B. and Mathews, J. (1995). Treatment of end stage renal disease in Aborigines in the Top End of the Northern Territory. In Aboriginal Health, Social and Cultural Transitions (pp. 39-43) Darwin, Australia: Northern Territory University.

  • Epidemiology and public health perspectives of renal and urinary tract diseases

    Hoy, Wendy E. and Fitzsimmons, S. (1992). Epidemiology and public health perspectives of renal and urinary tract diseases. In John M. Last and Robert B. Wallace (Ed.), Maxcy Rosenau Last public health and preventive medicine 13th ed. () Norwalk, United States: Appleton and Lange.

  • Report of the North American Indian anthropology section

    Williams, RC, Troup, GM, Nelson, JL, Kostyu, DD, McAuley, JE, Pettitt, DJ, Knowler, WC, Templin, DW, Mickelson, EM, Hansen, JA and Hoy, Wendy E. (1992). Report of the North American Indian anthropology section. In Tsuji M, Aizawa M and Sasazuki T (Ed.), HLA 1991: Proceedings of the eleventh International Histocompatibility Workshop and Conference (pp. 683-685) Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

  • Enhancement of Drug Elimination in the Poisoned Patient

    Weintraub, M. and Hoy, W. E. (1981). Enhancement of Drug Elimination in the Poisoned Patient. In R Lawrence (Ed.), Poison Control () : .

  • Complications in renal transplant recipients

    Freeman, R. B., Hoy, W. E. and Pabico, R. C. (1980). Complications in renal transplant recipients. In G. E. Schreiner and J. F. Winchester (Ed.), Controversies in Nephrology 1980 (pp. 342-351) Washinton, DC, United States: Georgetown University Press.

Journal Article

Conference Publication

Other Outputs

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • An Aboriginal woman's journey to identify the outcomes of prenatal alcohol exposure and early life trauma in Indigenous children who live in Aboriginal communities in Queensland

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Development of an Australian nation-wide surveillance system for chronic kidney disease

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

  • CKD.QLD: Establishment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) surveillance and research in Queensland, Australia

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Primary Care in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, in an Urban Community Controlled Health Service

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

  • CKD-Credits (CKD Centre for Research Excellence Diabetic kidney disease treated by specialists)

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

  • Treating chronic kidney disease with plant extracts of bush pumpkin

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Biomarkers of Early Diagnosis and Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease: Inflammation, Fibrosis and Oxidative Stress

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

Completed Supervision

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.

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ResearcherID: A-7325-2010

ORCID: 0000-0002-8405-1539

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