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Research

Helen Jenny Leonard Downs MBChB MPH BApplSci (physio) MSc PhD Principal Research Fellow Head, Child Disability +61 419 956 946 08 6319 1763

Research

Funded by a 5-year NHMRC Investigator grant to implement a strategy to eliminate rheumatic heart disease (RHD) as a public health problem in Australia.

Research

The Koolungar (children) Moorditj (strong) Healthy Skin project is the first ever co-designed research-service Australian study to describe skin health in urban-living Aboriginal koolungar.

Research

The RHD Endgame Strategy: the blueprint to eliminate rheumatic heart disease in Australia by 2031 (the Endgame Strategy) is the blueprint to eliminate rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in Australia by 2031. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live with one of the highest per capita burdens of RHD in the world.

Research

Rhinovirus (RV) C can cause asymptomatic infection and respiratory illnesses ranging from the common cold to severe wheezing. The aim was to identify how age and other individual-level factors are associated with susceptibility to RV-C illnesses. Longitudinal data from the COAST (Childhood Origins of Asthma) birth cohort study were analyzed to determine relationships between age and RV-C infections. Neutralizing antibodies specific for RV-A and RV-C (three types each) were determined using a novel PCR-based assay.

Research

Surfactant, which was first identified in the 1920s, is pivotal to lower the surface tension in alveoli of the lungs and helps to lower the work of breathing and prevents atelectasis. Surfactant proteins, such as surfactant protein B and surfactant protein C, contribute to function and stability of surfactant film.

Research

There remains a general misconception that the immune status of the fetus and neonate is immature or insufficient. However, emerging research in immune ontogeny prompts reconsideration of this orthodoxy, reframing this period instead as one of unique opportunity. Vaccine responses (qualitative and quantitative) vary between individuals, and across demographic cohorts. Elements of baseline immune status and function predict vaccine response - some of these factors are well described, others remain a subject of ongoing research, especially with the rapidly expanding field of 'omics' research, enabled by development of highly granular immune profiling techniques and increasing computational capacity.

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Microperimetry measures differential light sensitivity (DLS) at specific retinal locations. The aim of this study is to examine the variation in DLS across the macula and the contribution to this variation of cone distribution metrics and retinal eccentricity.

Research

LGBQ+ people (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer) are at-risk of discrimination and developing mental health issues within general populations. Limited research has assessed their mental health in emergency services occupations, a population which are known to experience poorer mental health. The current study explores the extent to which sexual orientation is associated with higher rates of mental health issues among emergency personnel.

Research

Diabetes distress, self-efficacy and health literacy are associated with diabetes self-management and health outcomes. Measures of coping styles and their impact on diabetes self-management and diabetes-related distress may add value in identifying those at risk of poorer health outcomes. Current evidence of associations between psychological flexibility/inflexibility and diabetes related health outcomes is limited.