The renewed Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) in Respiratory Health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children is a 5-year program of research and capacity building funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) from 2027–2031. It builds on our two previous CREs funded since 2012.

Conducted in partnership with Queensland University of Technology and other key institutions across the country, world-leading lung health researchers and First Nations leaders will focus on optimising lung health for and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children through innovative, feasible and scalable interventions over the next 5 years.

In this third continuous CRE led by Professor Anne Chang, the team will look to harness emerging technologies and strategic approaches to advance prevention, early diagnosis and effective treatment of childhood lung diseases, reducing the impact poor childhood lung health can have across the lifespan. 

With a focus on sustainability and equity, it will also work to build capacity for Aboriginal Health Practitioners, PhD students and post-doctoral scholars. In the team’s second CRE (which commenced in 2019), 17 PhD scholars were supported, and an additional 15 collaborative grants were obtained through the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and NHMRC.