Welcome Message

Winter is coming, along with several of our award submission deadlines. We would like to once again remind you that the AstraZeneca Respiratory Research Fellowships, the Vertex Adult CF Research Award, Vertex Paediatric CF Research Award, the PACT Grant-In-Aid Funding Opportunity and several LFA IPF PhD scholarships close across the month of June, so if you have been contemplating these opportunities, now is the time to submit your applications! Please check the Open Awards section below for further details regarding dates and guidelines.

We are also pleased to introduce the iCare Dust Diseases Scholarships and Fellowships program, which will fund research in the area of dust diseases. Please see below for more information and guidelines on how to apply.

The 2019 International Conference of the American Thoracic Society is upon us this week, and for those lucky enough to be travelling to Dallas, we urge you to visit our TSANZ stand and say hello to our CEO, Tanya Buchanan. We hope you enjoy learning the latest in clinical and scientific respiratory research, and bring back a wealth of knowledge to share amongst your colleagues and peers.

We would also like to remind you that submissions are always open for our “Research Roundup Holy Grail,” supported by the limbic. If you have been trying to uncover some hidden academic riches locked away in the recesses of respiratory research, we want to hear about it! You will be featured in an upcoming Research Roundup and also published on the limbic website. This is a great opportunity to tell us about your research and inspiration, and provides a platform to be able to connect your passion project with our network of TSANZ members and the limbic subscribers. Details can be found here.

We hope you enjoy the May edition of your Research Roundup.

Prof Sandra Hodge

Chair, Research Sub-Committee

Open Awards

Thoracic Society Awards

AstraZeneca Respiratory Research Fellowships – closes 2nd June 2019

Vertex Adult Cystic Fibrosis Research Award – closes 2nd June 2019

Vertex Paediatric Cystic Fibrosis Research Award – closes 2nd June 2019

Lung Foundation Awards

Lung Foundation Australia Brian Eaton Memorial PhD Scholarship in IPF – closes 10th June 2019

Lung Foundation Australia Diana Cox PhD Scholarship in IPF – closes 10th June 2019

Lung Foundation Australia / A Menarini Pty Ltd 2019 Travel Awards 

Travel application deadlines

ERS: 31st July 2019 (5pm AEST)

APSR: 13th September 2019 (5pm AEST)

PACT Grant-in-Aid Funding Opportunity – closes 26th June 2019

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…

The following articles will take you to thelimbic.com

Prof Ian Yang: exploring coexisting COPD and lung cancer

PPI use hard to justify in IPF

4 things are causing burnout in senior doctors, say Chief Medical Wellness Officer

National Dust Diseases Taskforce to be established this year

CMV linked to lung damage in CF

Cryobiopsy vs surgical lung biopsy debate cuts both ways

Research Review

Australian Respiratory Research Review Issue 44 – 2019

New Zealand Respiratory Research Review Issue 159

Research Project and Survey Requests

Current Opinions of Severe Asthma Specialists on the Utility of Biomarkers for the Management of Corticosteroid Treatment: A Survey

If you are an Australian clinician involved in the care of patients with severe asthma, we would be very grateful if you could complete a brief questionnaire.

We would ideally like to sample opinions from specialists involved in the care and management of patients with severe asthma to reach consensus. This is the second round of a multi-national Delphi process to reach a consensus and there may be follow-up questions based on the answers we receive from this round (with likely 2-3 rounds in total).

A strategy to optimize corticosteroid use in the severe asthma population using biomarkers is currently being investigated. Professors Peter Wark and Jodie Simpson at the University of Newcastle, Australia are looking at an algorithm to adjust corticosteroid dose using exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), and peripheral blood eosinophils. This survey is being conducted by them, and will also be part of a Masters by Research by Dr. James Michael Ramsahai. As part of this project, we would like to seek your views on some aspects of biomarker based corticosteroid adjustment in severe asthma.

For more details, please see the attached information statement. Please note that completion of the survey will imply consent to participate, and for the data collected to be used for analysis. You may withdraw at any time.

If you agree to participate, please follow the link to complete the survey

http://selectsurvey.hnehealth.nsw.gov.au/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=78M2nn61

*for issues with the survey link, please try copying and pasting into your browser and/or using Firefox browser. Feel free to contact the investigators with any questions*

Thank you,

Peter Wark
Jodie Simpson
J. Michael Ramsahai JamesMichael.Ramsahai@uon.edu.au

Survey of Attitudes of Australian Specialists to Lung Cancer Screening with Low Dose Computed Tomography

To Members of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand,

Lung cancer screening with low dose computed tomography has been implemented overseas however is still a debated topic within Australia. We are conducting a survey of Australian specialists and their knowledge and attitudes towards lung cancer screening and perceived barriers to the implementation of lung cancer screening with low dose computed tomography within Australia.

The anonymous survey is available online using the SurveyMonkey survey tool and takes approximately 7 minutes to complete.  It can be accessed via the following link.  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AttitudesToLDCT

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you require any further information.  We attach our study protocol and copy of HREC approval (The Prince Charles Hospital Human Research and Ethics Committee LNR/2018/QPCH/44970).

Thank you for your kind support.

Yours truly

Rachel McLellan, Advanced RACP Trainee
Kwun Fong
Henry Marshall
Rayleen Bowman
Ian Yang

University of Queensland Thoracic Research Centre at The Prince Charles Hospital
Metro North Hospital and Health Service | Queensland Government
Rode Road, Chermside, Brisbane QLD 4032, AUSTRALIA
t. 61 7 [31394000] e. ILST@health.qld.gov.au | www.health.qld.gov.au

New survey about Victorian doctors’ end-of-life decision-making

Victorian doctors in specialties likely to be involved in end-of-life decisions are being surveyed about their decision-making practices involving adult patients. Researchers from the NHMRC-funded Centre of Research Excellence in End-of-Life Care are conducting a study to determine what sort of end-of-life decisions are being made by doctors, how often these decisions occur and for what sort of patients.

At present, there are no up-to-date, representative Australian data describing the frequency and nature of medical end-of-life decisions involving adults, and the characteristics of patients about whom such decisions are made. The research aims to provide an evidence base to understand current medical practice in Victoria including the extent to which palliative care is provided to patients at the end of life. Findings from this research will also inform improvements in the quality of end-of-life care.

A sample of Victorian doctors will be contacted in April and May by the AMA’s Australia Medical Publishing Company (AMPCo) to invite them to complete a survey.  The survey can be completed in hard copy or online.  Participating doctors who complete their survey before 16 May will go into the draw for one of three prizes to the value $100, in fine wine, or a donation to a registered charity of your choice.

If you have any queries about this research, please feel free to contact Dr Rachel Feeney[rachel.feeney@qut.edu.au]. The research team is grateful for the time and insight of the doctors who support this research by completing this survey.

Genomic medicine here to stay? Have your say.

Are you a medical specialist in Australia?

If so, tell us your thoughts about genomic medicine
practice and continuing medical education!

We need to hear from non-genetic medical specialists
who work clinically in Australia.

We want to know about past, present and future aspects
of genetics and health, including genomics in healthcare.

It doesn’t matter how much you know about this,
or whether you incorporate genomics into your practice or not;
your opinions, views and experiences are valuable to us.

You will help shape future workforce practices and
continuing education and training programs

Click here to complete the anonymous 15-minute survey.
Please distribute this link to your networks

Please note there are separate studies for clinical geneticists, oncologists, pathologists, radiologists and general practitioners, who will be contacted directly.

This survey is an activity of the Workforce Development Program of the NH&MRC-funded
Australian Genomics Health Alliance. If you have any queries, please contact Dr Amy Nisselle, Specialist Project Officer, Australian Genomics Health Alliance (amy.nisselle@mcri.edu.au or 03 9936 6340).

This survey has HREC approval, The University of Melbourne (1646785.8).