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Dr Tamara Blake

Respiratory Scientist

Child Health Research Centre
Faculty of Medicine
t.blake@uq.edu.au

Overview

Tamara is a trained respiratory scientist and has 7 years' experience in measuring the lung function of children aged 3-18 years. She has recently completed her PhD whereby she validated the use of normal healthy reference values for two lung function tests (spirometry and fractional exhaled nitric oxide) for children who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. She has a particular interest in childhood respiratory illnesses such as cystic fibrosis and asthma, emerging clinical measurement techniques, as well as Australian First Nations respiratory health. Her current research aims to better understand the mechanisms of early CF lung disease and to improve current clinical outcome measures to aid in appropriate CF management.

Research Interests

  • Respiratory Disease
    Cystic fibrosis, asthma, bronchiectasis Implementation and validation of new diagnostic tests
  • Health and Environment
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
    Respiratory Child health

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Queensland University of Technology

Publications

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Grants

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Supervision

  • Role of airway obstruction in the development of asthma

    Doctor Philosophy

View all Supervision

Available Projects

  • Understanding the impact of air pollution on Cystic Fibrosis lung disease

    This project will explore potential indoor and ambient air pollutant factors that are present at the homes of children with Cystic Fibrosis. Emerging research suggests that environmental factors may play a role in the progression of CF lung disease, however these are poorly documented.

    We will measure the air quality and environmental chemicals present in the home, and associations between lung function, inflammatory biomarkers and clinical status will be determined. This project would suit an Honours/Masters student. The student will assist with data collection at participants homes, cleaning and analysis of data. A valid Blue Card will be required.

  • Development of normative intra-breath oscillometry data

    IB-OSC is a new lung function modality that is easier for patients to use, quicker to achieve data in busy clinical settings, and has greater sensitivity to early lung disease progression. Normative data is needed to aid in the interpretation of this technique. This project would suit a PhD candidate and would involve the recruitment of children (3-18 years), collecting basic demographic, medical history and lung function measurements, data cleaning and statistical analysis.

    A valid Blue Card is required. The successful candidate ideally will have knowledge of respiratory system anatomy and physiology, experience in lung function testing, and excellent written and oral communication skills. A basic understanding of statistical methods is desirable.

  • Assessing lung structure with MRI in patients with Cystic Fibrosis

    Despite great advances in clinical care and survival rates in cystic fibrosis (CF), patients continue to suffer a decline in lung function that starts in mid-childhood and progresses throughout life. This study will explore the mechanisms of early CF lung disease in an attempt to improve clinical outcome measures that are sensitive to early lung disease and disease progression across the CF life-stage. We are seeking a PhD student to work with our collaborators at CSIRO to aid in the development, optimisation, and validation of automated diagnostic tools for CF lung disease assessment based on CT imaging or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The successful candidate will assist it identifying and labelling key anatomical features and help to link image findings to CF disease characteristics and mechanisms i.e., bronchiectasis, mucus plugging. The candidate will collaborate with imaging scientists working on Artificial Intelligence systems for automated lung imaging analysis.

    Our ideal candidate will have knowledge of respiratory system anatomy and physiology, excellent written and oral communications skills, a willingness to work as part of a multi-disciplinary collaborative team and maintain active collaborations with other labs and universities.

View all Available Projects

Publications

Journal Article

Conference Publication

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.

  • Understanding the impact of air pollution on Cystic Fibrosis lung disease

    This project will explore potential indoor and ambient air pollutant factors that are present at the homes of children with Cystic Fibrosis. Emerging research suggests that environmental factors may play a role in the progression of CF lung disease, however these are poorly documented.

    We will measure the air quality and environmental chemicals present in the home, and associations between lung function, inflammatory biomarkers and clinical status will be determined. This project would suit an Honours/Masters student. The student will assist with data collection at participants homes, cleaning and analysis of data. A valid Blue Card will be required.

  • Development of normative intra-breath oscillometry data

    IB-OSC is a new lung function modality that is easier for patients to use, quicker to achieve data in busy clinical settings, and has greater sensitivity to early lung disease progression. Normative data is needed to aid in the interpretation of this technique. This project would suit a PhD candidate and would involve the recruitment of children (3-18 years), collecting basic demographic, medical history and lung function measurements, data cleaning and statistical analysis.

    A valid Blue Card is required. The successful candidate ideally will have knowledge of respiratory system anatomy and physiology, experience in lung function testing, and excellent written and oral communication skills. A basic understanding of statistical methods is desirable.

  • Assessing lung structure with MRI in patients with Cystic Fibrosis

    Despite great advances in clinical care and survival rates in cystic fibrosis (CF), patients continue to suffer a decline in lung function that starts in mid-childhood and progresses throughout life. This study will explore the mechanisms of early CF lung disease in an attempt to improve clinical outcome measures that are sensitive to early lung disease and disease progression across the CF life-stage. We are seeking a PhD student to work with our collaborators at CSIRO to aid in the development, optimisation, and validation of automated diagnostic tools for CF lung disease assessment based on CT imaging or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The successful candidate will assist it identifying and labelling key anatomical features and help to link image findings to CF disease characteristics and mechanisms i.e., bronchiectasis, mucus plugging. The candidate will collaborate with imaging scientists working on Artificial Intelligence systems for automated lung imaging analysis.

    Our ideal candidate will have knowledge of respiratory system anatomy and physiology, excellent written and oral communications skills, a willingness to work as part of a multi-disciplinary collaborative team and maintain active collaborations with other labs and universities.

  • Improving the detection of early Cystic Fibrosis lung disease development

    Increasing evidence suggests that irreversible, progressive lung disease begins in the very early years of life for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) however; the exact mechanism(s) that drive this damage are still largely unknown. Risk factors for progressive lung disease are detectable in patients as early as three months of age. A significant limitation to early disease detection is the lack of feasible and sensitive measures available for use in very young patients. This project aims to define the role of new novel lung function techniques in monitoring Cystic Fibrosis lung disease in very young children (>3 months of age).

    This project will involve participant recruitment and performing of lung function measurements on young children. A valid Blue Card is required. The successful candidate will have knowledge of respiratory system anatomy and physiology, experience in lung function testing, and excellent written and oral communication skills. A basic understanding of statistical methods is desirable. This project would suit a PhD candidate.

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ORCID: 0000-0003-4069-8725

Scopus ID: 57190072763

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