Tamara Blake

Tamara's research impact can be demonstrated in two areas.

a) Reference values for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young adults Her PhD (awarded in 2019) validated the use of normal healthy reference values for spirometry and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) for children who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (First Nations Australians). Prior to this project no studies had adequately established or validated which reference values were most appropriate for use when performing lung function tests with First Nations Australians. As a result, many primary and tertiary health care settings use Caucasian based reference values when performing these measurements. Furthermore, previous studies have reported that First Nations Australians have FEV1 and FVC values between 20-30% lower than Caucasian data. Given the high burden of respiratory disease within this population, it was evident that there was a need to conduct quality research within this space to improve clinical outcomes and continue to Close the Gap. This research was the first to collect healthy lung function data that met strict international recommendations for the validation of reference values. She found that the GLI ‘Other/Mixed’ reference value and the GINA cut-off value were the most appropriate for use when performing spirometry and FeNO respectively. Results from this work have been incorporated into ‘The Spirometry Handbook for Primary Care’ published by the National Asthma Council (NAC) and the ‘Indigenous Health Worker Spirometry Training Manual’ delivered by the Indigenous Respiratory Outreach Care (IROC) program. These documents provide guidance to healthcare professionals and were developed by expert working groups consisting of nurses, doctors and respiratory scientists. The IROC program and the Respiratory departments at Queensland Children’s and Prince Charles Hospitals have adopted recommendations regarding use of appropriate reference values for this population.

b) Sensitive techniques for understanding early cystic fibrosis lung disease progression As part of her post-doctoral position, Tamara coordinates the ELO study which has explored the feasibility and sensitivity of techniques that are responsive to changes in CF clinical status. Preliminary findings from this project have been disseminated at national/international conferences and are being used to direct future research program development and collaborations. Results have been successfully leveraged into a Children’s Hospital Foundation ECR Fellowship to provide salary support for herself, which allowed for the employment of additional research support staff. To date, 306 participants have been recruited across 3 sites. Preliminary data, both in clinical and home-based settings, suggest that novel lung function techniques can identify patients who are experiencing changes in lung health before it is apparent clinically or identifiable on other gold standard techniques.