Program Manager
PhD, MSc, BSc
Dr Smith is a Respiratory and Sleep Physiologist and Senior Research Co-ordinator within the Children’s Lung Health team at Telethon Kids Institute. She has over 10 years of experience in clinical research, and for the past 3 years has been performing specialist respiratory testing as part of the Western Australian Lung health in Prematurity (WALHIP) follow-up of young adults born preterm.
Dr Smith supervises the Research Respiratory Laboratory at Telethon Kids overseeing reporting, quality assurance and training of internal and external staff & students. In addition to her role in the laboratory, Dr Smith prepares grant submissions. scientific publications, manages team finances & databases and acts as a line manager for junior staff.
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Projects
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Publications
October 2023
Preterm birth and exercise capacity: what do we currently know?
The long-term cardiopulmonary outcomes following preterm birth during the surfactant era remain unclear. Respiratory symptoms, particularly exertional symptoms, are common in preterm children. Therefore, cardiopulmonary exercise testing may provide insights into the pathophysiology driving exertional respiratory symptoms in those born preterm. This review aims to outline the current knowledge of cardiopulmonary exercise testing in the assessment of children born preterm in the surfactant era.
Published research Early Childhood Development Children's Lung Health Subsite: Walyan Pre-term birth Physical activityAugust 2023Oscillometry and spirometry are not interchangeable when assessing the bronchodilator response in children and young adults born preterm
The European Respiratory Society Oscillometry Taskforce identified that clinical correlates of bronchodilator responses are needed to advance oscillometry in clinical practice. The understanding of bronchodilator-induced oscillometry changes in preterm lung disease is poor. Here we describe a comparison of bronchodilator assessments performed using oscillometry and spirometry in a population born very preterm and explore the relationship between bronchodilator-induced changes in respiratory function and clinical outcomes.
Published research Early Childhood Development Children's Lung Health Subsite: Walyan Pre-term birthAugust 2023Inhaled corticosteroids to improve lung function in children (aged 6–12 years) who were born very preterm (PICSI): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Despite the substantial burden of lung disease throughout childhood in children who were born very preterm, there are no evidence-based interventions to improve lung health beyond the neonatal period. We tested the hypothesis that inhaled corticosteroid improves lung function in this population.
Early Childhood Development Children's Lung Health Subsite: Walyan COVID-19 Pre-term birth Immune systemMay 2023Risk factors for poorer respiratory outcomes in adolescents and young adults born preterm
The respiratory outcomes for adult survivors of preterm birth in the postsurfactant era are wide-ranging with prognostic factors, especially those encountered after the neonatal period, poorly understood.
Published research Children's Lung Health Subsite: Walyan Pre-term birthSeptember 2022Prevalence of chronic respiratory diseases in Aboriginal children: A whole population study
The burden of bronchiectasis is disproportionately high in Aboriginal adults, with early mortality. Bronchiectasis precursors, that is, protracted bacterial bronchitis and chronic suppurative lung disease, often commence in early childhood.
Aboriginal Health & Wellbeing Academic Biostatistics Aboriginal Health Children's Lung Health Subsite: Walyan BREATH Respiratory viral infectionsNovember 2021Methods used to evaluate the immediate effects of airway clearance techniques in adults with cystic fibrosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis
This review reports on methods used to evaluate airway clearance techniques (ACT) in adults with CF and examined data for evidence of any effect. Sixty-eight studies described ACT in adequate detail and were included in this review.
Cystic Fibrosis Published research Children's Lung Health -
Education and Qualifications
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Awards/Honours