Allergy, Immunology & Respiratory Medicine research

Specific disciplines include severe asthma, allergic diseases, non-HIV primary and acquired immune deficiencies, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), interstitial lung diseases, sleep apnoea and sleep disordered breathing, the Cystic Fibrosis State Centre of Excellence, bronchiectasis, pulmonary vascular disease and adult and paediatric lung transplantation.

AIRmed integrates clinical services with extensive human and experimental research programs, linking senior clinician scientists, bench scientists, allied health professionals, primary care physicians and the community. Clinically driven hypotheses direct the laboratory-based human research and subsequent translation into changes in current best practice for improved health outcomes. The clinical and academic base of AIRmed is located at The Alfred hospital, with experimental and clinical research laboratories located within the hospital and in the laboratories of Monash University at the Alfred Research Alliance.

AIRmed has a very active clinical and biomedical research focus with considerable success in competitive NHMRC, ARC and other research grant funding. High international and national profiles of senior personnel are reflected in numerous peer review publications and speaking invitations. AIRmed is committed to delivering outstanding best practice clinical care, outcome driven professional education and community outreach as well as translational research of international acclaim.

Achievements and Awards

• Professor Robyn O'Hehir was elected a Foundation Fellow of the newly established Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and endorsed as a Fellow of the Thoracic Society of Society of Australia and New Zealand.
• Professor Matthew Naughton received the 2015 Australasian Sleep Association Distinguished Achievement Award in recognition of exceptional achievements in the fields of sleep health and sleep science.
• Dr Glen Westall and Dr Ian Glaspole were appointed as Adjunct Clinical Associate Professors.
• Dr Anne Holland was appointed Adjunct Professor of Physiotherapy, La Trobe University. 

Grants

New NHMRC Project Grants Commencing 2016

• Associate Professor Glen Westall is part of an investigator team (CID), led by Associate Professor Daniel Chambers (University of Queensland) (CIA), awarded a five-year $1.88 million Project Grant entitled ‘Conquering the final frontier in lung transplantation: mesenchymal stromal cell therapy for chronic lung allograft dysfunction’.
• Professor Robyn O’Hehir was awarded a $1.44 million threeyear Project Grant for the study ‘Phase I/IIa trials of a novel T-cell epitope-based peptide therapy for peanut allergy’.
• Associate Professor Glen Westall is part of an investigator team (CIC), led by Professor Daryl Knight (University of Newcastle), awarded a four-year Project Grant of $845,611 for a study entitled ‘Fibroblast Senescence as a driver of pulmonary fibrosis’.
• Professor Anne Holland is the lead investigator of a team awarded a four-year Project Grant of $697,942 for the study entitled ‘Tele-rehabilitation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease’.
• Professor Michael Abramson is the lead investigator of a team awarded a one-year Project Grant of $282,760 to investigate ‘Occupational and environmental exposures associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in Australia’.