
Overview
Background
Professor Peter Sly is the Director, Children's Health and Environment Program. Professor Sly is a NHMRC Leadership Fellow (L3) and an emeritus paediatric respiratory physician with extensive research experience in respiratory physiology, developmental immunology and children's environmental health. Professor Sly’s research aims to understand the mechanisms underlying chronic childhood lung diseases in order to improve clinical management and to delay or prevent their onset, with consequent reductions in adult lung diseases. A combination of basic science, longitudinal cohort studies and translation of research findings into clinical practice, including clinical trials, are included in three main areas: asthma, cystic fibrosis and children’s environmental health
Professor Sly is an advisor to the World Health Organisation Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Disease and currently serves on International Advisory Boards and committees, including: WHO network of Collaborating Centres in Children’s Environmental Health; Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) Study, Canada; the Infant Lung Health Study, Paarl, South Africa; and A SHARED Future: Achieving Strength, Health, and Autonomy, through Renewable Energy Development for the Future.
Availability
- Professor Peter Sly is:
- Not available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery and Medical Science, University of Melbourne
- Doctoral Diploma of Medicine, University of Melbourne
- Doctoral Diploma of Science (Advanced), University of Western Australia
Research interests
-
Asthma
Understanding mechanisms that underlie risks for developing asthma in susceptible children
-
Cystic Fibrosis
Understanding the mechanisms underlying the development of lung disease early in life and why and how this progresses
-
Impact of environmental exposures in early life
Improving methods of assessing environmental exposures during fetal development and in early postnatal life. Improving methods for assessing the effects of early life environmental exposures and understanding how these increase long-tern risk of chronic disease.
Research impacts
CI Sly’s research program changed thinking on how chronic respiratory disease develops; highlighting the impact of early life exposures increasing disease risk and showing early detection is the key to its reduction, developing tools for assessing early respiratory disease, revealing mechanisms underpinning disease onset and progression, and outlined intervention pathways to improve health outcomes. The paradigm-shifting Australian Respiratory Early Surveillance Team for Cystic Fibrosis CF (AREST CF), demonstrated infants can have significant lung disease with no clinical symptoms; defined risk factors for persistent bronchiectasis at 3 months of age; developing tools to assess early lung disease on chest CT scans showing early bronchiectasis was persistent and progressive; and resulted in the 1st clinical trial of primary prevention of bronchiectasis in infants with CF. Research and advocacy with the WHO led to the WHO program on e-Waste and contributions to WHO policy and Lancet commissions on Pollution and Health and Child Wellbeing. CI Sly has an established track record investigating infection and inflammation, and the underlying mechanisms of airway disease. He was one of the key persons in establishing and managing longitudinal birth cohorts to identify risk factors underlying the development of asthma. He also has a long track record in respiratory physiology and in developing and implementing new measurements of lung function. He has contributed to consensus statements in the area of standardization of lung function testing for infants and young children and has had substantial involvement in clinical trials, both investigator-initiated and pharma trials.
Works
Search Professor Peter Sly’s works on UQ eSpace
2016
Conference Publication
Environmental Exposure To Nox And No2 And Respiratory Function In Schoolchildren From Mothers Who Participated In A Randomized Clinical Trial During Pregnancy
Barraza-Villarreal, A., Escamilla-Nunez, M. C., Hernandez-Cadena, L., Sly, P. D., Ramakrishnan, U. and Romieu, I. (2016). Environmental Exposure To Nox And No2 And Respiratory Function In Schoolchildren From Mothers Who Participated In A Randomized Clinical Trial During Pregnancy. International Conference of the American-Thoracic-Society (ATS), San Francisco Ca, 13-18 May 2016. New York, NY United States: American Thoracic Society.
2016
Journal Article
Children’s environmental health indicators in Australia
Sly, J. Leith, Moore, Sophie E., Gore, Fiona, Brune, Marie Noel, Neira, Maria, Jagals, Paul and Sly, Peter D. (2016). Children’s environmental health indicators in Australia. Annals of Global Health, 82 (1), 156-168. doi: 10.1016/j.aogh.2016.01.012
2016
Conference Publication
A sensitive lung function measure to differentiate between healthy and wheezy children
Shackleton, C., Hantos, Z., Kumar, A., Grimwood, K., Radics, B., Gingl, Z., Sly, P. and Czovek, D. (2016). A sensitive lung function measure to differentiate between healthy and wheezy children. Thoracic Society of Australia & New Zealand and the Australian & New Zealand Society of Respiratory Science, Annual Scientific Meeting, Perth, WA, Australia, 1–6 April 2016. Richmond, VIC, Australia: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia. doi: 10.1111/resp.12752_2
2016
Conference Publication
Overcoming obstacles to research collaboration: a research nurse perspective
Galbraith, Sally, Varghese, Julie, Sly, Peter and Czovek, Dorottya (2016). Overcoming obstacles to research collaboration: a research nurse perspective. 2nd Annual Children's Health Queensland Research Symposium, Brisbane, Australia, 2-3 November 2016.
2016
Journal Article
Early life rhinovirus infection exacerbates house-dust-mite induced lung disease more severely in female mice
Phan, Jennifer A., Kicic, Anthony, Berry, Luke J., Sly, Peter D. and Larcombe, Alexander N. (2016). Early life rhinovirus infection exacerbates house-dust-mite induced lung disease more severely in female mice. Experimental Lung Research, 42 (1), 24-36. doi: 10.3109/01902148.2015.1131346
2016
Journal Article
Health consequences of environmental exposures in early life: coping with a changing world in the Post-MDG era
Suk, William, Ruchirawat, Mathuros, Stein, Renato T., Diaz-Barriga, Fernando, Carpenter, David O., Neira, Maria and Sly, Peter D. (2016). Health consequences of environmental exposures in early life: coping with a changing world in the Post-MDG era. Annals of Global Health, 82 (1), 20-27. doi: 10.1016/j.aogh.2016.01.006
2016
Conference Publication
Aeroallergen-induced IL-33 predisposes to respiratory virus-induced asthma by dampening type I and III interferon production
Werder, R., Lynch, J., Simpson, J., Loh, Z., Zhang, V., Spann, K., Sly, P., Mazzone, S., Upham, J. and Phipps, S. (2016). Aeroallergen-induced IL-33 predisposes to respiratory virus-induced asthma by dampening type I and III interferon production. International Congress of Immunology (ICI), Melbourne, Australia, 21-26 August 2016. Weinheim, Germany: Wiley. doi: 10.1002/eji.201670200
2016
Conference Publication
Pooling of Bronchoalveolar Lavage in Children with Cystic Fibrosis Does Not Affect the Microbiological Yield and May Allow Earlier Detection of Pulmonary Inflammation
McNally, P. G., O'Rourke, J., Fantino, E., Chacko, A., Pabary, R., Turnbull, A., Wainwright, C. E., Linnane, B., Davies, J. C. and Sly, P. (2016). Pooling of Bronchoalveolar Lavage in Children with Cystic Fibrosis Does Not Affect the Microbiological Yield and May Allow Earlier Detection of Pulmonary Inflammation. The 30th Annual North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference, Orlando, Florida, United States, October 27–29, 2016. Hoboken, United States: John Wiley & Sons. doi: 10.1002/ppul.23576
2016
Conference Publication
Intra-Breath Assessment Of Respiratory Impedance Reveals Unique Pattern Of Bronchodilator Response In Wheezy Children
Shackleton, C., Hantos, Z., Kumar, A., Grimwood, K., Radics, B., Gingl, Z., Sly, P. D. and Czovek, D. (2016). Intra-Breath Assessment Of Respiratory Impedance Reveals Unique Pattern Of Bronchodilator Response In Wheezy Children. International Conference of the American-Thoracic-Society (ATS), San Francisco CA, United States, May 13-18, 2016. New York, NY United States: American Thoracic Society.
2016
Journal Article
Health consequences of environmental exposures: causal thinking in global environmental epidemiology
Sly, Peter D., Carpenter, David O., Van den Berg, Martin, Stein, Renato T., Landrigan, Philip J., Brune-Drisse, Marie-Noel and Suk, William (2016). Health consequences of environmental exposures: causal thinking in global environmental epidemiology. Annals of Global Health, 82 (1), 3-9. doi: 10.1016/j.aogh.2016.01.004
2016
Conference Publication
Prenatal exposure to the plasticizer bisphenol A (BPA) and adverse birth outcomes in human epidemiological studies
Maher, Bridget, English, Karin, Norman, Rosana, Sly, Peter and Davies, Peter (2016). Prenatal exposure to the plasticizer bisphenol A (BPA) and adverse birth outcomes in human epidemiological studies. Annual Scientific Meeting of the Endocrine-Society-of-Australia, Adelaide, Australia, 23-26 August 2015. HOBOKEN: WILEY.
2016
Conference Publication
Effect Of Childhood Asthma On Lung Function At 21 Years
Suresh, S., O'Callaghan, M., Mamun, A. and Sly, P. D. (2016). Effect Of Childhood Asthma On Lung Function At 21 Years. International Conference of the American-Thoracic-Society (ATS), San Francisco, CA, United States, May 13-18 2016. New York, NY United States: American Thoracic Society.
2016
Conference Publication
Genome-wide association study unravels genetic determinants of the atopic march
Marenholz, I, Esparza-Gordillo, J., Rueschendorf, F., Strachan, D. P., Spycher, B. D., Baurecht, H., Margaritte-Jeannin, P., Saeaef, A., Kerkhof, M., Ege, M., Baltic, S., Matheson, M. C., Li, J., Michel, S., Ang, W. Q., McArdle, W., Homuth, G., Bouzigon, E., Pershagen, G., Postma, D. S., Braun-Fahrlaender, C., Duffy, D. L., Marks, G. B., Robertson, C. F., Martin, N. G., James, A., Sleiman, P., Foelster-Holst, R., Lieb, W. ... Lee, Y-A (2016). Genome-wide association study unravels genetic determinants of the atopic march. Meeting of the European-Academy-of-Allergy-and-Clinical-Immunology, Vienna, Austria, 11-15 June 2016. HOBOKEN: WILEY-BLACKWELL.
2016
Conference Publication
Susceptibility of the asthmatic airway epithelium to viral infection is due to both cellular and viral factors
Spann, K., Baturcam, E., Yeo, T., Snape, N., Schagen, J., Thomas, E., Logan, J., Galbraith, S., Phipps, S., Fantino, E. and Sly, P. (2016). Susceptibility of the asthmatic airway epithelium to viral infection is due to both cellular and viral factors. Thoracic Society of Australia & New Zealand and the Australian & New Zealand Society of Respiratory Science, Annual Scientific Meeting, Perth, Australia, 1–6 April, 2016. Richmond, Australia: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia. doi: 10.1111/resp.12755_2
2016
Conference Publication
Low Dynamic Compliance May Indicate Expiratory Flow Limitation In Healthy Infants
Czovek, D., Willemse, L., Radics, B., Makan, G., Visagie, A., Gingl, Z., Hall, G. L., Sly, P. D., Zar, H. J., Hantos, Z. and Gray, D. (2016). Low Dynamic Compliance May Indicate Expiratory Flow Limitation In Healthy Infants. International Conference of the American-Thoracic-Society (ATS), San Francisco, CA, United States, May 13-18 2016. New York, NY United States: American Thoracic Society.
2016
Journal Article
Ensuring a bright future for children's environmental health
Suk, William A. and Sly, Peter D. (2016). Ensuring a bright future for children's environmental health. Annals of Global Health, 82 (1), 1-2. doi: 10.1016/j.aogh.2016.01.011
2016
Journal Article
Health consequences of environmental exposures: changing global patterns of exposure and disease
Landrigan, Philip J., Sly, J. Leith, Ruchirawat, Mathuros, Silva, Emerson R., Huo, Xia, Diaz-Barriga, Fernando, Zar, Heather J., King, Malcolm, Ha, Eun-Hee, Asante, Kwadwo Ansong, Ahanchian, Hamid and Sly, Peter D. (2016). Health consequences of environmental exposures: changing global patterns of exposure and disease. Annals of Global Health, 82 (1), 10-19. doi: 10.1016/j.aogh.2016.01.005
2016
Conference Publication
Aeroallergen-induced IL-33 predisposes to respiratory virus-induced asthma by dampening Type I and III interferon production
Werder, R. B., Lynch, J., Simpson, J., Loh, Z., Zhang, V., Spann, K., Sly, P., Mazzone, S., Upham, J. and Phipps, S. (2016). Aeroallergen-induced IL-33 predisposes to respiratory virus-induced asthma by dampening Type I and III interferon production. 4th Annual Meeting of The International Cytokine and Interferon Society (ICIS), San Francisco, CA, United States, October 16 - 19 2016. London, United Kingdom: Academic Press.
2015
Journal Article
Environmental microbial exposure and protection against asthma
Holt, Patrick G. and Sly, Peter D. (2015). Environmental microbial exposure and protection against asthma. New England Journal of Medicine, 373 (26), 2576-2578. doi: 10.1056/NEJMcibr1511291
2015
Journal Article
Home environment and indoor air pollution exposure in an African birth cohort study
Vanker, Aneesa, Barnett, Whitney, Nduru, Polite M., Gie, Robert P., Sly, Peter D. and Zar, Heather J. (2015). Home environment and indoor air pollution exposure in an African birth cohort study. Science of the Total Environment, 536, 362-367. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.06.136
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Peter Sly is:
- Not available for supervision
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Maternal exposure to phthalates and allergic disease in children
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Dwan Vilcins
-
Doctor Philosophy
Role of airway obstruction in the development of asthma
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Zoltan Hantos, Dr Tamara Blake
-
Doctor Philosophy
Respiratory Guidelines for the Management of Paediatric Neuromuscular Disease
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Zephanie Tyack
-
Doctor Philosophy
Investigations into the importance of antimicrobial residues in the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in peri-urban dairy farms of Nepal
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Deirdre Mikkelsen, Dr Nicholas Clark, Professor Ricardo Soares Magalhaes
-
Doctor Philosophy
Improving detection of pulmonary graft-vs-host disease (pGVHD) post haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT)
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Tamara Blake, Professor Paul Robinson
-
Doctor Philosophy
Providing evidence to guide public health messages during bushfire smoke events
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Dwan Vilcins
Completed supervision
-
2025
Doctor Philosophy
Characterizing the Environmental Burden and Health Impact of Electronic Waste (e-waste) in Bangladesh
Principal Advisor
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Traffic-related air pollution: impact on respiratory health and attitudes to self-protective behaviours amongst urban Vietnamese children
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Phong Thai, Associate Professor Dung Phung
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Enteropathogen infection and Household Factors Associated with Linear Child Growth in Bangladesh
Principal Advisor
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Novel green space measures and birthweight in Queensland, Australia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Paul Jagals, Dr Peter Baker
-
2019
Doctor Philosophy
Incorporating Epidemiological Studies into Integrated Environmental Health Impact Assessment of Coal Mining
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Paul Jagals
-
2019
Doctor Philosophy
Evaluating the Effects of Atmospheric Environment on Children's Health in Hanoi, Vietnam
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jochen Mueller, Associate Professor Phong Thai, Associate Professor Dung Phung
-
2018
Doctor Philosophy
Assessing Exposure of Young Australian Children to Toxicants in the Home Environment using a Web-Based Questionnaire
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Paul Jagals
-
2018
Doctor Philosophy
Improving the clinical utility of the Forced Oscillation Technique in preschool-aged children
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Zoltan Hantos
-
2025
Doctor Philosophy
Mitigating the health impacts of air pollution in Australia: From research to policy.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Brian Head, Associate Professor Nina Lansbury
-
2025
Doctor Philosophy
Epidemiological investigations into avian influenza virus environmental contamination in live bird markets of Dhaka's metropolitan area, Bangladesh
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Nicholas Clark, Professor Ricardo Soares Magalhaes
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Children's Environmental Health in Least Developed Countries: a modelling approach to support policy decisions
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Paul Jagals
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Trajectories of asthma symptom and their associations with family, neighbourhood, and psychosocial environmental factors among children in Australia
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Abdullah Mamun
-
2022
Master Philosophy
Investigating the molecular mechanisms of macrophage polarisation
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Abdullah Tarique
-
-
2021
Doctor Philosophy
Assessing Early-life Human Exposure to Selected Pesticides Using Urinary Biomarkers
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jochen Mueller
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Statistical methods for analysing the health effects of prenatal exposure to mixtures of correlated endocrine-disrupting chemicals
Associate Advisor
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Early Life Predictors of Peak Lung function at 21 years Findings from a Longitudinal Cohort Study
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Abdullah Mamun
-
2019
Doctor Philosophy
Establishing a wound healing model in well differentiated cultures of primary human nasal epithelial cells
Associate Advisor
-
2017
Doctor Philosophy
Assessing body burden of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in infants/toddlers through analysis of faeces
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jochen Mueller
-
-
2016
Doctor Philosophy
The antiviral defects of the airway epithelium associated with wheeze and atopy in children and asthma in adults
Associate Advisor
-
2016
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the cellular and molecular processes that link RAGE gene-deletion with the development of pneumovirus-induced bronchiolitis and paucigranulocytic asthma
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor John Upham
-
2015
Doctor Philosophy
Immunomodulation of allergic airway inflammation by mesenchymal stem cells
Associate Advisor
-
2014
Doctor Philosophy
Acute lower respiratory infections in infants in the tropics: Environmental drivers of seasonal epidemics
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Gail Williams
-
2014
Doctor Philosophy
Assessing environmental exposures in Australian children. A case study of bisphenol A
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jochen Mueller
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Peter Sly directly for media enquiries about:
- Child health
- Children and environment
- Cystic fibrosis
- Paediatric asthma
- Respiratory physiology
Need help?
For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team: