Professor Susanna Park PhD leads a multidisciplinary research program investigating assessment strategies, treatments and risk factors in neuropathy and neuromuscular disease at the University of Sydney. She was awarded her PhD from the University of New South Wales and undertook postdoctoral training at the Institute of Neurology, University College London. She has shown outstanding team leadership in research, securing significant research funding, publishing >150 publications and managing a collaborative research team. Her work has enabled real-time monitoring of axonal degeneration in neurotoxic chemotherapy-treated patients, via novel neurophysiological assessment tools, which have been adopted into research programs across 6 countries in chemotherapy neuropathy clinical research and clinical trials. Park has received significant awards, including the 2018 AW Campbell award from the Australasian Neuroscience Society for best contribution to neuroscience in the first 5 postdoctoral years and a NHMRC Career Development Fellowship (completed 2023). Park’s international leadership standing is demonstrated by leadership positions in international multidisciplinary research consortia groups, including the Peripheral Nerve Society Toxic Neuropathy Consortium.
Research
More people are living for longer following cancer treatment. However, treatment toxicities such as chemotherapy-induced nerve damage threaten cancer survival, leading to early chemotherapy discontinuation and chronic loss of sensation, pain and disability. Nerve damage is a major side effect of cancer treatment, affecting up to 40% of cancer survivors treated with common therapies.
To address this growing challenge, Prof Park leads a translational neurology program focused on the biological mechanisms of axonal degeneration, the process central to chemotherapy-induced nerve damage and many other neurodegenerative diseases.
Over the next five years, Prof Park and her team will develop metabolic, genetic and protein signatures of axonal degeneration from blood samples to develop clinically relevant biomarkers. These biomarkers will enable earlier diagnosis and targeted therapeutic interventions for patients with chemotherapy-induced nerve damage and other neurodegenerative conditions, ultimately transforming both diagnostic practices and treatment strategies worldwide.