Welcome Message

It is a busy time of year for research administration. Last week we were both in Canberra and were very fortunate to meet with Professor Anne Kelso, NHMRC CEO. We had a very useful discussion with Anne on the lack of research funding achieved by respiratory health in comparison to the massive respiratory burden of disease and we discussed ways to improve this situation. Anne highlighted to us that the success rate of respiratory disease grants was 20.8%, which is well above the national average of 16.2% funding success. This means we have an extremely high quality respiratory workforce conducting research, we just don’t have enough grants being submitted. We all need to work to build workforce capacity. TSANZ will continue to advocate for increased respiratory research funds to support research positions as well as continuing to work with sponsors and donors to fund pilot research and pursue fellowship partnerships. At a local and group level we need each other to support and mentor early and mid-career researchers. Furthermore, in the future the NHMRC Ideas Scheme will award innovation and feasible ideas without weighting track record. These will be a great opportunity for our junior investigators.

The NHMRC grant structure is changing next year and grant review panels will not exist as we know them. Grants will be triaged into top grants (auto-fund), borderline grants, and grants not for further consideration. Grants which are borderline will then be reviewed by a few experts to determine their fundability. It is important that respiratory researchers from varied backgrounds continue to make themselves available to review national grants to ensure appropriate expertise is available. It is important that respiratory experts are reviewing respiratory grants as we best understand their potential impact. Please answer the call to participate on research panels. In doing so you ensure respiratory grants are reviewed by well qualified reviewers.

It is heartening to know that respiratory researchers are some of the most successful in the country. Let’s continue to build our respiratory community so that we can receive the support we need to find the cure and breath easy.

To that end we are pleased to announce our first awards are now open!

A suite of project grants are out to support pilot research into paediatric health, indigenous health, and alpha-1 deficiency. We are also grateful to be again hosting awards with the National Asthma Council Australia and Lung Foundation Australia. Please look below in the open awards article for more information.

Awards linked to abstracts opened with submissions to the TSANZSRS19 and these include the Janet Elder International Travel Award, the Ann Woolcock New Investigator, The Japanese Respiratory Society Travel Award, and the ASM Travel Awards. Please submit your abstract, apply for a travel grant (for ECRs) and join us on the Gold Coast in 2019. Furthermore, our ASM is preceded by the Asian Pacific Congress on Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology and well worth the extended trip to Queensland.

Enjoy the August edition of your research roundup.

Profs Phil Hansbro & Sandra Hodge

Co-Chairs, Research Sub-Committee

The following articles will take you to thelimbic.com

Sleep medicine specialists sound warning over self-prescribed snoring devices

Bronchiolitis guidelines say no to drug therapies

Oral corticosteroids: more finesse needed in severe asthma

Zopiclone study allays fears over hypnotic harms in OSA

First study of lung mycobiome finds link to bronchiectasis

Open Awards

Thoracic Society Awards

TSANZ Peter Phelan Research Award – closes 31 Oct 18

TSANZ Rob Pierce Grant-in-Aid for Indigenous Lung Health – closes 31 Oct 18

TSANZ Indigenous Respiratory Nursing Award – closes 31 Oct 18

Joint Awards

TSANZ / LFA / CSL Behring Research Award for Alpha-1 anti-trypsin deficiency – closes 31 Oct 18

TSANZ and National Asthma Council Australia Asthma and Airways Career Development Fellowship – closes 31 Oct 18

Lung Foundation Australia Awards

Lung Foundation Australia / Ludwig Engel Grant-in-Aid for Physiological Research 2018 – closes 21 Sep 18

Lung Foundation Australia / Ivan Cash Research Grant-in-Aid For Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Research 2019 – closes 21 Sep 18

Lung Foundation Australia / Lizotte Family Research Award for Interstitial Pulmonary Fibrosis Research 2019 – closes 21 Sep 18

How to participate

Follow the links above to access each award application form and download the information sheet.

Please email the TSANZ Awards Coordinator with any questions, comments or enquires.

Watch this space for more award announcements…

Respirology – Editor’s Choice

Respirology Issue 23.8 (August 2018)

Bronchiectasis in indigenous and non-indigenous residents of Australia and New Zealand

Sean R. Blackall, Jae B. Hong, Paul King, Conroy Wong, Lloyd Einsiedel, Marc G.W. Rémond, Cindy Woods, Graeme P. Maguire

DOI: 10.1111/resp.13280

Spirometry in central Australia – bronchiectasis disproportionately impacts indigenous populations

Childhood measles contributes to post-bronchodilator airflow obstruction in middle-aged adults: A cohort study

Jennifer L. Perret, Melanie C. Matheson, Lyle C. Gurrin, David P. Johns, John A. Burgess, Bruce R. Thompson, Adrian J. Lowe, James Markos, Stephen S. Morrison, Christine F. McDonald, Richard Wood‐Baker, Cecilie Svanes, Paul S. Thomas, John L. Hopper, Graham G. Giles, Michael J. Abramson, E. Haydn Walters, Shyamali C. Dharmage

DOI: 10.1111/resp.13297

The population-based Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study (TAHS) cohort provided the data for this study.

Research Project and Survey Requests

Community and patients on their experiences with spirometry

The European Lung Foundation, in partnership with the American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society Spirometry Task Force, is seeking input from community and patients on their experiences with spirometry.

We would greatly appreciate it if you can promote this survey through your organisational, community and social networks. The survey will be open until the 21^st September 2018.

The survey is available in a number of languages and can be accessed directly through the link below or via the ELF news item also below.

If there are any specific questions please contact Courtney Coleman from the ELF.

• Link directly to the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/spirometry_experience

The survey is available in Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Participants can select their language from the drop down menu at the top right of the survey.

• Link to the news item on our website here: http://www.europeanlung.org/en/news-and-events/news/share-your-experience-of-spirometry-testing-to-help-inform-the-best-testing-method

The news item is available in English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish by selecting the country flag at the top left of the website

Sent on behalf of the European Lung Foundation, in partnership with the American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society Spirometry Task Force.

The Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI) Survey

The Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI) has developed all ages, multi-ethnic reference equations for the most commonly used lung function tests and worked with the broader respiratory community to implement these equations.   

 As part of our broader work we are interested in receiving feedback from the community regarding experiences with implementation of the GLI spirometry and GLI TLCO reference equations, as well understanding any barriers and challenges to implementation. We would greatly appreciate you taking the time to complete the survey to help us understand the experiences of your own research group and/or clinical department.  

This short survey should take ~ 5 minutes to complete and will assist in further informing GLI activities and how we approach future implementation. Individuals and their institutions will not be identified. Outcomes of the survey will be made publicly available on the GLI website. 

We are currently working to develop reference equations for lung volumes and if you or your colleagues have lung volume data in healthy individuals please do visit www.lungfunction.org for more information on this latest GLI initiative.  

Survey sent on behalf of the Global Lung Function Initiative Network: 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DB9LYDJ?PleaseSpecify=[PleaseSpecify_value]

Centre for Improving Palliative, Aged and Chronic Care through Clinical Research and Translation (IMPACCT)

ANZ health professionals who care for people with lung cancer are invited to take part in a survey about the clinical importance and management of cough.

Cough in lung cancer – a health professional survey

The survey link is: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/cough_in_lung_cancer

Survey results will be used to establish the need and direction for development of further pharmacological and non-pharmacological management strategies for cough in lung cancer.

We are interested in the views of health professionals from the full range of disciplines, specialties and settings involved in caring for people with lung cancer, regardless of their level of experience in managing cough.

Participation in the survey is voluntary and anonymous, and will take approximately 10-15 minutes.

This project is being conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in collaboration with colleagues at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU).

For more information, please contact Dr Tim Luckett via tim.luckett@uts.edu.au or 02 9514 4861.