Credits - Healthtalk Australia

CREDITS

Healthtalk Australia website allows you to share in other people’s experiences of health and illness. The information contained within this module is based on qualitative research data collected in Australia by researchers based at the University of Sydney.

RESEARCH TEAM

The research team consisted of the following people:

Professor Lorraine Smith - Click to read more

Lorraine Smith is a Registered Psychologist and Director of Education, DVC- Education, Enterprise and Engagement, and an academic in the School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney.

Her research interests focus on patient perspectives on self-management of chronic conditions. She conducts qualitative and quantitative research projects into patient self-management, and has studied patient perspectives on asthma, allergic rhinitis, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and chronic low back pain. Lorraine is co-investigator on the Living with Multiple Medicines and Experiences of Ageing in Australia modules and Chief Investigator of this (People’s Experiences of Living with Severe Asthma) module.

Ms Daniela Eassey - Click to read more

Daniela Eassey is a practicing pharmacist and PhD candidate at the University of Sydney School of Pharmacy. She completed her Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours Class I) at the University of Sydney in 2014. After obtaining her registration as a pharmacist, Daniela returned to the School of Pharmacy to undertake a PhD degree, which is now in its final stages. Her research project focuses on people’s experiences of living with severe asthma.

Dr Sharon Davis - Click to read more

Professor Helen Reddel - Click to read more

Helen Reddel is a respiratory physician working to improve treatment for asthma and COPD. She is a Research Leader in the Clinical Management Group at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Chair of the Science Committee of the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), Clinical Adviser for the Australian Centre for Airways Disease Monitoring (ACAM), and a member of the Australian Asthma Handbook Guidelines Committee. She has a particular interest in improving the quality prescribing and use of respiratory medications in primary care, and population level monitoring of asthma and COPD through ACAM.

EXPERT ADVISORY PANEL

Professor Helen Reddel - Click to read more

Professor Vanessa McDonald - Click to read more

Vanessa McDonald is a Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, co-leader of the NHMRC Centre of Excellence in Severe Asthma and research leader in the Priority Research Centre (PRC) for Healthy Lungs at the University of Newcastle. She is a clinical academic nurse consultant in the Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine at John Hunter Hospital. Vanessa’s research interests are centred around the development of innovative approaches to the management of chronic airway diseases particularly severe asthma and COPD.

Professor John Upham - Click to read more

John Upham is a clinical scientist and physician with longstanding research interests in the immunological basis of asthma and chronic lung disease, the role of dendritic cells in allergy and virus infections of the lung, and the development of novel approaches to severe asthma treatment. John is a key member of both the Severe Asthma CRE Management Committee and the Research Committee, and has played a leadership role in organising and co-chairing three recent national symposia on severe asthma to facilitate research collaboration, build research and clinical capacity, and improve models of care for severe asthma

Associate Professor Bandana Saini - Click to read more

Bandana Saini trained as a pharmacist at the University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chandigarh, India (1990). After completing a Master’s degree in Business Administration (1996, University of Western Sydney), she changed her research direction to exploring pharmacy health services, an area which strategically combines her pharmacy background and an understanding of management principles. Her PhD project focused on asthma (2004, University of Sydney), and since then she has led and collaborated in implementing and evaluating several successful pharmacy-based models that involve screening, patient self-management, clinical audits as well as pharmacovigilance.

Ms Deborah Kay - Click to read more

Debra is a consumer, carer and consumer representative. She originally trained as a teacher and has undertaken health curriculum development, policy and research. She has worked with The Smith Family and was CEO of Asthma Australia. Debra is currently a Research Fellow in the Faculty of the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI); has several government committee appointments, and undertakes pro bono roles with a wide range of community organisations.

Professor Peter Walk - Click to read more

Peter Wark is a senior staff specialist in Respiratory and Sleep Medicine at John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle and a conjoint Professor with the University of Newcastle. In addition he is a senior member of the Priority Research Centre for Healthy Lungs and a member of the Vaccines Immunology Viruses and Asthma research group at the Hunter Medical Research Institute. His research interests include the role of virus infection in acute exacerbations of airways disease and their influence on airway inflammation.

Dr Stephen Hughes - Click to read more

Professor Peter Gibson - Click to read more

Peter Gibson is Conjoint Professor, School of Medicine and Public Health, The University of Newcastle. He is a respiratory physician and also works as a clinical scientist investigating the mechanisms and treatment of asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), cough, and other airway disorders. He has developed innovative approaches around inflammatory subtypes of asthma and cough; airway biomarkers; neurogenic mechanisms, laryngeal dysfunction and related treatments for refractory cough; multidimensional assessment and management of complex airway disorders such as severe asthma, airways diseases in the elderly, and asthma in pregnant women.

Professor Alan James - Click to read more

Professor Alan James is a consultant respiratory physician at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and at Hollywood Private Hospital and Clinical Professor at the University of Western Australia. His clinical interests are in airway diseases, smoking-related lung disease, investigation of breathlessness and respiratory sleep disorders. He leads a basic science group investigating the role of airway smooth muscle and extracellular matrix in excessive airway narrowing in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Professor Kath Ryan - Click to read more

Kath Ryan is Professor of Social Pharmacy at the University of Reading. She is a New Zealand pharmacist with a background in community pharmacy, pharmacy practice education and healthcare research in pharmacy, nursing and midwifery. She also has a strong lay and professional background in breastfeeding support. Kath’s research interests include personal experiences of health and illness, women’s and children’s health; qualitative research methods, and the use of narratives in health research.

ACKNOWLEGEMENTS

Thanks to organisations: Centre of Excellence in Severe Asthma

Thanks to individuals: Special thanks are extended to all people who shared with us their stories of experiences of severe asthma to inform the development of this website. To Kate Johnston-Ata’ata [Healthtalk Australia Coordinator] for her advice, and to the Expert Advisory Panel members for their guidance and feedback as the project progressed.

Thanks to the Respiratory Specialists that assisted with recruitment.

Supported by:
Centre of Excellence in Severe Asthma

NHMRC grant: National Severe Asthma Centre for Research Excellence: ‘Transforming the approach to severe asthma from fragmented, ineffective management to integrated and evidence-based care’ #APP1078579