Tamara Blake

“Spirometry and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) reference values for Indigenous Australians”

Tamara Blake is a respiratory scientist at the Lady Cilento Children's Hospital in Brisbane. She is undertaking her PhD studies through Queensland University of Technology, under the supervision of CRE researchers Professor Anne Chang and Dr Margaret McElrea.

Tamara's project is aimed at establishing reference values for healthy lung function for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children. Presently, reference values for caucasian people are applied to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and it is not known if these values are valid for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. Tamara aims to collect lung function data from healthy Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander volunteers, in order to establish valid reference ranges for healthy lung function. Once in use, these reference values will mean that abnormal lung function in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will be able to be identified with greater accuracy, leading to improved diagnosis and treatment of lung disease.

Tamara is supported by a CRE top up scholarship.