She set up her research group as an National Health and Medical Research Council research fellow at the University of Western Australia in 1976, which she held until 1994 when she was appointed professor. Research stemming from a collaboration with Prof. John Newnham led to changes in clinical practice around administration of corticosteroids to women at risk of pre-term delivery which prematurely mature fetal lungs, improving respiratory function in pre-term infants.[6]