BREATH (Building Respiratory Equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health)

The BREATH team is passionate about finding ways to improve the health trajectories of children through multiple approaches. A strong focus is on lung health in First Nations children.

We employ participatory action research to facilitate culturally secure knowledge translation. We work in partnership with First Nations communities throughout WA and wider Australia, local State and Aboriginal health services and other key stakeholders to achieve meaningful and sustainable improvements in the health system. We also integrate basic science with clinical medicine across a range of areas including:

• The prevention of permanent lung disease/bronchiectasis by a) the early recognition and management of chronic wet cough and protracted bacterial bronchitis and b) ensuring high quality follow-up for vulnerable children hospitalised with chest infections
• Accurate prediction and diagnosis of asthma in young children through use of metabolomics and other biomarkers
• Collaborating with the Airway Epithelial Research Team to develop cell models to study interstitial lung disease

Other key collaborations include:

• Multi-centre randomised controlled trial exploring new therapies for primary ciliary dyskinesia (REPEAT)
• Multi-centre randomised controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of a Bronchiectasis Action Management Plan (BAMP)
• A multicentre Bayesian informed Adaptive Trial studying exacerbations of Cystic Fibrosis (BEAT-CF)

 Related links: 

Acute Lung Sickness Flipchart
Chronic Lung Sickness Flipchart
Chronic Lung Sickness Flipchart (KRIOL)
Chronic Lung Sickness Flipchart (KUKATJA)
Chronic Wet Cough Telethon Page
Chronic Wet Cough Facebook Page
Chronic Wet Cough Video
Chronic Wet Cough Audio
Chronic Wet Cough Flipchart
Clinician and staff training
Wet cough podcast
Wet cough poster - 1
Wet cough poster - 2
Wet cough poster - 3