Co-Head, Children's Lung Health; Senior Research Fellow
BMedSci (hons), PhD
Associate Professor Shannon Simpson was awarded her PhD in 2010 by the University of Tasmania. Shannon’s PhD, which looked at the developing respiratory system in a pre-clinical model of preterm birth, received several awards including the prestigious American Physiological Society Scholander Prize for meritorious work by a young investigator. The move to Telethon Kids Institute expanded Shannon’s skills in clinical respiratory physiology while undertaking research in infants and children with cystic fibrosis, asthma and those surviving very preterm birth. Award of an Australian National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Early Career Fellowship (2014-17) enabled Shannon to pursue her passion of improving the health outcomes for babies born preterm. She has developed a strong international reputation as a leader in this area and now leads a multi-faceted research programme spanning from clinical cohort studies and interventional clinical trials to laboratory-based exploratory science. Shannon’s research excellence is supported by strong community engagement/involvement, support of clinical colleagues and wide reaching collaborative networks.
Shannon’s research programme has three broad aims:
- To understand if preterm associated lung disease is progressive throughout the life course and to predict which babies are at risk of poorer outcomes.
- To elucidate the biological mechanisms underpinning preterm-associated lung disease using innovative laboratory-based approaches.
- To conduct interventions that will arrest or reverse preterm associated lung disease.
Ultimately, Shannon is working towards transformative change for survivors of preterm birth.
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Projects
Understanding if ongoing inflammation in the lungs contributes to the poor lung health experienced by some children who were born preterm.
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Publications
February 2023
Ventilatory response and stability of oxygen saturation during a hypoxic challenge in very preterm infants
Preterm infants have immature control of breathing and impaired pulmonary gas exchange. We hypothesized that infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) have a blunted ventilatory response and peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2 ) instability during a hypoxic challenge.
Published research Children's Lung Health Neonatal Cardiorespiratory Health Subsite: Walyan Pre-term birthFebruary 2022Clinical significance and applications of oscillometry
Recently, "Technical standards for respiratory oscillometry" was published, which reviewed the physiological basis of oscillometric measures and detailed the technical factors related to equipment and test performance, quality assurance and reporting of results. Here we present a review of the clinical significance and applications of oscillometry.
Asthma Published research Children's Lung HealthNovember 2022Living with lung disease: experimental models to assess the long-term effects of prematurity
Laboratory models provide an important tool in helping to understand the cellular and molecular drivers of respiratory disease. Many animal models exist that model the neonatal outcomes of preterm birth.
Published research Airway Epithelial Research Children's Lung Health Neonatal Cardiorespiratory Health Subsite: Walyan Pre-term birthOctober 2022The ventilatory response to hypoxia is blunted in some preterm infants during the second year of life
Preterm birth and subsequent neonatal ventilatory treatment disrupts development of the hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR). An attenuated HVR has been identified in preterm neonates, however it is unknown whether the attenuation persists into the second year of life.
Published research Children's Lung Health Neonatal Infection and Immunity Pre-term birthJune 2022Geographical Differences and Temporal Improvements in Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 Second of Preterm-Born Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Although preterm birth is associated with later deficits in lung function, there is a paucity of information on geographical differences and whether improvements occur over time, especially after surfactant was introduced.
Published research Children's Lung Health Pre-term birthFebruary 2021Lung abnormalities do not influence aerobic capacity in school children born preterm
Children born preterm have impaired lung function and altered lung structure. However, there are conflicting reports on how preterm birth impacts aerobic exercise capacity in childhood. We aimed to investigate how neonatal history and a diagnosis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) impact the relationship between function and structure of the lung, and aerobic capacity in school-aged children born very preterm.
Published research Early Childhood Development Children's Lung Health Children’s Respiratory ScienceFebruary 2021Pulmonary Gas Exchange Improves over the First Year in Preterm Infants with and without Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia
Right shift of the peripheral oxyhaemoglobin saturation (SpO2) versus inspired oxygen pressure (PIO2) curve is a sensitive marker of pulmonary gas exchange. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of prematurity and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) on gas exchange and right-to-left shunt in the neonatal period, and its evolution over the first year of life.
Published research Early Childhood Development Children's Lung Health Neonatal Cardiorespiratory HealthJune 2021Nasal airway epithelial repair after very preterm birth
Nasal epithelial cells from very preterm infants have a functional defect in their ability to repair beyond the first year of life, and failed repair may be associated with antenatal steroid exposure.
Published research Airway Epithelial Research Children's Lung Health Pre-term birthApril 2021Collecting exhaled breath condensate from non-ventilated preterm-born infants: a modified method
Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) collection is a non-invasive, safe method for measurement of biomarkers in patients with lung disease. Other methods of obtaining samples from the lungs, such as bronchoalveolar lavage, are invasive and require anaesthesia/sedation in neonates and infants. EBC is particularly appealing for assessing biomarkers in preterm-born infants, a population at risk of ongoing lung disease.
Published research Children's Lung HealthApril 2021The PELICAN (Prematurity's Effect on the Lungs In Children and Adults Network) ERS Clinical Research Collaboration: understanding the impact of preterm birth on lung health throughout life
An estimated 15 million babies (∼11%) are born preterm each year (before 37 weeks of gestation), the rates of which are increasing worldwide. Enhanced perinatal care, including antenatal corticosteroids, postnatal surfactant and improved respiratory management, have markedly improved survival outcomes since the 1990s, particularly for babies born very preterm (<32 weeks gestation). However, long-term pulmonary sequelae are frequent in preterm survivors and ongoing clinical management is often required.
Published research Early Childhood Development Children's Lung HealthFebruary 2020Technical standards for respiratory oscillometry
The aim of the task force was to provide technical recommendations regarding oscillometry measurement
Published research Children's Lung HealthNovember 2019Bronchopulmonary dysplasia: Rationale for a pathophysiological rather than treatment based approach to diagnosis
This review describes the evolution of bronchopulmonary dysplasia definitions, evaluates the benefits and limitations of each approach
Published research Children's Lung HealthOctober 2019Upper Airway Pathology Contributes to Respiratory Symptoms in Children Born Very Preterm
The upper airway may play a role in the respiratory symptoms experienced by some very preterm children and should be considered by clinicians
Published research Children's Lung HealthAugust 2019Preterm birth: Born too soon for the developing airway epithelium
This review examines the consequences of preterm birth on the airway epithelium and explores the clinical relevance of currently available models
Published research Airway Epithelial Research Children's Lung HealthJune 2019Identifying pediatric lung disease: A comparison of forced oscillation technique outcomes
These findings suggest the utility of specific FOT outcomes is dependent on the respiratory disease being assessed
Asthma Cystic Fibrosis Published research Children's Lung HealthOctober 2018Increased prevalence of expiratory flow limitation during exercise in children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia
Expiratory flow limitation is more prevalent in children born preterm with bronchopulmonary dysplasia and is associated with airway obstruction
Published research Children's Lung HealthSeptember 2018Persistent and progressive long-term lung disease in survivors of preterm birth
This review aims to summarise what is known about the long-term pulmonary outcomes of contemporary preterm birth
Published research Children's Lung HealthAugust 2018The impact of respiratory viruses on lung health after preterm birth
The aim of this review is to highlight the risk factors that may contribute to increased susceptibility to viral respiratory infections among preterm infants
Published research Children's Lung HealthMay 2018Lung function trajectories throughout childhood in survivors of very preterm birth: a longitudinal cohort study
Lung function trajectories are impaired in survivors of very preterm birth
Published research Children's Lung HealthApril 2018How ‘healthy’ do children really need to be? Going beyond the limits
The authors assessed the impact of including preschool‐aged children with a history of preterm birth, early life wheeze, asthma diagnoses and/or recent respiratory symptoms in healthy reference ranges for respiratory impedance using the forced oscillation technique (FOT).
Published research Children's Lung HealthAugust 2017Altered lung structure and function in mid-childhood survivors of very preterm birth
To obtain comprehensive data on lung structure and function in mid-childhood from survivors of preterm birth.
Published research Children's Lung HealthNovember 2017Effect of posture on lung ventilation distribution and associations with structure in children with cystic fibrosis
Background: We assessed the effect of posture on ventilation distribution and the impact on associations with structural lung disease.
Cystic Fibrosis Published research Children's Lung Health P4 Respiratory Health for Kids -
Awards/Honours
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Education & Qualifications
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Active Collaborations
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External Committees