School of Biomedical Sciences

I graduated from the University of Glasgow with a BSc (Hons) in Microbiology in 1982 and began a full-time research career that included completion of a PhD (Molecular Virology/Adenoviral vectors; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, 1989)  and post-doctoral research in a variety of institutions.  I joined CSU in July 1998.  My research interest is based in microbiology/biotechnology, with a focus on infection control. 

Professional affiliations

• American Society for Microbiology
• Australian Infection Control Association

 

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Teaching

Teaching philosophy

I aim to enthuse students with a life-long love of microbiology and of learning in general and to provide them, irrespective of ability, with an education that will enable them to fulfil their full potential.

Current subjects taught

• MCR101 Introduction to Microbiology
• DOH133 Oral Microbiology

 

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Research

International Patents

• Compound and method of Treatment.  USA Patent No.: 10/576042.

Australian Patents

• Bacterial treatment. (2003213518).
• Compound and method of treatment. (2003905718). 
• Anti-fungal treatments.  (2005901908). 
• Bacillus strain isolate with fungal suppression activity.  PCT/AU2004/000962. 

Refereed Journal Papers (last 5 years):

• Hood, JR, Burton, B, Wilkinson, JM, Cavanagh, HMA.  Antifungal activity of Leptospermum petersonii oil volatiles against Aspergillus spp in vitro and in vivo.   J Antimicrob Chemo., in press. 
• Maddocks-Jennings, W, Wilkinson, JM, Cavanagh, HMA, Shillington, D. (2009) Evaluating the effects of the essential oils Leptospermum scoparium (manuka) and Kunzea ericoides (kanuka) on radiotherapy induced mucositis: A randomized, placebo controlled feasibility study. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, 13(2); 87-93
• Cavanagh, HMA. (2007)  Antifungal activity of the volatile phase of essential oils.  Natural Product Communications, 2(12); 1297-1302. 
• Steel, JC, Cavanagh, HMA, Burton, MA, Mones, SA-A, Tsokos, M,  Morris JC, Kalle, WHJ. (2007) Increased Tumor Localization and Reduced Immune Response to Adenoviral Vector Formulated with the Liposome DDAB/DOPE. European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 30(5), 398-405
• Moon, T, Cavanagh, HMA, Wilkinson, JM. (2007) Antifungal activity of Australian grown Lavandula spp. Essential oils against Aspergillus nidulans, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Leptosphaeria maculans and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Journal of Essential Oil Research, 19(2), 171-175. 
• Kamkaen, N, Wilkinson, JM, Cavanagh, HMA. (2006) Cytotoxic effect of four Thai edible plants on mammalian cell proliferation. Thai Pharmaceutical and Health Journal, 1(3), 189-195.
• Moon, T, Wilkinson, JM, Cavanagh, HMA. (2006). Antibacterial activity of essential oils, hydrosols and plant extracts from Australian grown Lavandula spp. International Journal of Aromatherapy, 16, 9-14
• Moon, T, Wilkinson, JM, Cavanagh, HMA. (2006)  Antiparasitic activity of two Lavandula essential oil against Giardia duodenalis, Trichomonas vaginalis and Hexamita inflata. Parasitology Research 99(6):722-728
• Maddox-Jennings, W, Wilkinson, JM, Shillington, D, Cavanagh, HMA.  (2005) A fresh look at Manuka and Kanuka essential oils from New Zealand. International Journal of Aromatherapy, 141-146. 
• Moon, T, Cavanagh, HMA, Wilkinson, JM. (2005) Which is better for disc diffusion assays of essential oils – IsoSensitest or nutrient agar?  Journal of Essential Oil Research 18:578-580. 
• Wilkinson, JM, Cavanagh, HMA (2005) Antibacterial activity of essential oils from Australian native plants.  Phytotherapy Research, 19(7), 643-646. 
• Wilkinson JM, Cavanagh HMA. (2005) Activity of 13 honeys against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Journal of Medicinal Foods, 8(1):100-103.
• Steel, JC, Cavanagh, HMA, Burton, M, Dingwall, D, Kalle, WHJ (2005) Modification of liposomal concentration in liposome/adenoviral complexes allows significant protection of adenoviral vectors from neutralising antibody, in vitro. Journal of Virological Methods, 126 (1-2), 31-36. 
• Cavanagh, HMA, Wilkinson, JM (2005). Lavender Essential Oil: a review. Australian Infection Control, 10(1), 35 – 37. 
• Cavanagh, HMA, Hood, JR, Wilkinson, JM. (2005) Rural high school students’ views of biotechnology. Electronic Journal of Biotechnology, 8(2). [http://www.ejbiotechnology.cl/content/vol8/issue2/full/1/].  
• Steel, JC, Kalle, WHJ, Dingwall, DJ, Cavanagh, HMA, Burton, MA. (2004) Pre-treatment with a non-therapeutic dose of cisplatin increases solid tumour response to liposomal-p53 gene therapy- An in vivo study.  Cancer Therapy, 2, 239 – 244.
• Steel JC, Dingwall D, Burton MA, Cavanagh, HMA, Kalle, WHJ (2004) Successful re-administration of adenoviral vectors by liposome-microsphere complexes induces significant tumour response in vivo. Cancer Gene Therapy, 11 (12): 856-856. 
• Steel, JC, Cavanagh, HMA, Burton, MA, Kalle, WHJ (2004) Microsphere-liposome complexes protect adenoviral vectors from neutralising antibody without losses in transfection efficiency, in vitro.  Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 56 (11): 1371-1378. 
• Hood, JR, Cavanagh, HMA and Wilkinson, JM. (2004) Effect of essential oil concentration on the pH of nutrient and Iso‑sensitest broth. Phytotherapy Research, 18 (11), 947 – 949. 
• Steel, J, Cavanagh, HMA, Burton, M, Dingwall, D and  Kalle, W. (2004) In vitro evaluation of ion-exchange microspheres for the sustained release of liposomal-adenoviral conjugates. J. Cont. Release, 95 (3), 601-611. 

Supervisory experience
PhD - As Principal Supervisor

• 2008 - Jenny Cox.  The impact of microbiology education within nursing degree programs on infection control practice.
• 2008 - Vasiti Uluiviti. Antimicrobial activity of medicinal herbs against Leptospira. 
• 2008 - Justin Ellem. Plasmid mediated beta-lactam resistance in the  Enterobacteriacea.
• 2003 - 07 Jennie Hood.  Application of essential oil as treatment for human pathogenic fungi. Degree awarded December 2007.
  • Winner of the CSU Professor Mike King Postgraduate Award 2004.
• 1999 - 03 Leath Sheales. Isolation and Characterisation of anti-fungal substances produced by soil bacteria.  Degree awarded March 2003. 
  • Winner of the CSU Professor Mike King Postgraduate Award 2001.

PhD - As Associate Supervisor

• 2007 - Timothy Kadinha. Virulence factors and antibiotic resistance in UTI presentations.
• 1999 – 04 Jason Steel.  A Novel Delivery System for Adenovirus Vectors in Gene Therapy.         Degree awarded 2005.

Doctor of Health Science

• 2008 - Petra Roberts, Prevalence of high risk HPV types among women in Trinidad and Tobago
• 2002 - 2007 Wendy Maddocks-Jennings. An evaluation of the use of essential oils in the
  Management of radiotherapy induced mucosal reactions.

Master of Pharmacy (international) - As principal supervisor

• 2007 Tony Bergkvist, Antimicrobial activity of four volatile essential oils.  University of Gutenberg (research project completed at CSU Wagga Wagga campus). Degree awarded 2008.  

Masters (by Dissertation)  - As principal supervisor

• 2007-09 Peter Huntington. Detection of metallo-beta-lactamase antibiotic resistance in
   clinical isolates of Enterobacteriacea.
• 2006-08 Inayat Memon.  Co-prevalence of HIV and TB in UAE.
• 2005-06 Munira Al Juniabi. Prevalence of HCV infection among injection drug users in United Arab Emirates
• 2003-04 Teresa Tong. Incidence of drug-resistant Tuberculosis and HIV co-infection in Hong Kong.
• 2001-02 Gene Breau.. Grading hospital patients with the Pneumonia Severity Scale Index.
• 2000-01 Vasiti Uluiviti..  Aetiology of Diarrhoeal Diseases in Fiji.
• 1998-99 Ngar-yam Lee.. HPV infection in gynaecological in-patients with genital diseases other than cervical neoplasia in Hong Kong.
• 1998-99 Yu Kin Wai. .The incidence of Burkholderia cepacia in respiratory secretions from bronchiectasis and non-cystic fibrosis patients in Hong Kong. 

Honours
Bachelor of Medical & Applied Biotechnology (Hons) - As Principal Supervisor

• 2007-08 Peter Ting. (Upper 2nd Class Honours) Antibacterial activity of a novel Bacillus peptide.
• 2006-08 Justin Ellem. (1st Class Honours) Antimicrobial resistance patterns and prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase and metallo β-lactamase-producing members of the Enterobacteriaceae family.
• 2003-04 Lynn Rowley (1st Class Honours) Gene Expression Profiling of Bovine Mammary Epithelial Cells in Response to Prolactin and Extracellular Matrix.
• 2001-02 Jennie Hood (1st Class Honours) Bioactivity of the Australian native Myrtles, Sandalwood and Blue Cypress.
• 2000-01 Janelle Wright (1st Class Honours). Antiparasitic activity of herbicides on apicomplexan and non-apicomplexan parasites. 
• 1999-00 Joanna Keating (1st Class Honours). RT-PCR analysis of cytokine induction during acute and persistence coxsackievirus infections. [

As Associate Supervisor

• 2008-09 Carla Giles. (Upper 2nd Class) Epidemiology of equine adenovirus serotypes 1 and 2.
• 2001-02 Patricia Lusby (Upper 2nd Class Honours). Bioactivity and wound-healing properties of Lavender honey.
• 2000-02 Sarah Chapman (Part-time) (1st Class Honours). In vitro evaluation of binding/release mechanisms of adenovirus from microspheres. 
• 1999-00 Daniel Dingwall (Upper 2nd Class Honours). Development of a slow release system for Adenovirus Vectors. 

Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) (integrated) - As Principal Supervisor

• 2008-09 Elysia Chow Synergistic activity of a range of essential oils.
• 2006-07 Mary Jess Beale (1s class Honours).  MMR vaccination, Autism and Siblings. 
• 2001-02 Katie Naughtin (1st Class Honours). Antimicrobial activity of the Australian native mints (Prostanthera spp).

As Associate Supervisor

• 2003–04 Ben Fifield.  (Upper 2nd class) Attitudes to and mechanisms of diagnosis of Chronic fatigue syndrome by GPs in the Riverina region.