HEALTH AND ECONOMIC BURDEN OF INTERSTITIAL LUNG DISEASES
RESEARCHER PROFILE (Filmed April 2024)
Dr Ingrid Cox
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Menzies Institute for Medical Research
University of Tasmania
Dr Ingrid Cox is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania. She is a physician and health economist by training and has extensive experience working in healthcare, including in clinical practice, public health, health policy and health planning, and has worked with regional governmental agencies in the Caribbean and international development partners working in health.
Dr Cox’s main research interests focus on respiratory diseases and primarily on the economic burden and economic evaluation of interventions and treatments for their management. She earned her PhD from the University of Tasmania where her doctoral research examined the health and economic burden of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in Australia, one component of the NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence for Pulmonary Fibrosis, a national project implemented alongside the Australian IPF Registry and the Lung Foundation Australia. This research provided the first epidemiological profile and first costing estimates of the economic burden of the disease in Australia, providing essential evidence for health service reimbursement policies.
Dr Cos completed her PhD in 2022 and since then has been the recipient of two Fellowships, the first the Menzies Postdoctoral Fellowship and the second a Fellowship with Lung Foundation Australia.
Currently Dr Cox’s research work spans several areas including her continued work on IPF and other interstitial lung diseases on several national projects, health services research including some work with the Royal Flying Doctor Service, prostate cancer research and her current lung cancer research funded by the major project grant of the Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation.
Dr Cox holds executive committee positions on the Australian Health Economics Society, the Professional Society or Health Economics and Outcomes Research both nationally and internationally, is currently the President of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand Tasmanian Branch and Chair of the Lung Cancer Special Interest Group.
Source: Supplied, Centre Of Research Excellence In Pulmonary Fibrosis
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Personalised approaches to lung therapy
Dr. Adams’ research focus is on lung cancer, which is the deadliest of all cancers worldwide. He is working towards developing personalised approaches to pinpoint a therapy that is going to be most effective for the person with that disease. Dr. Adams’ research is focusing on chemotherapy and targeted therapy, and he is trying to identify upfront which of those tumours are likely to be resistant to the therapy. He then identifies strategies that will resensitize or increase the sensitivity of the tumour to the standard of care that is targeted therapy or chemotherapy.
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Therapy to prevent hepatocellular carcinoma in people with liver cirrhosis
Professor John Olynyk is a Gastroenterologist & Hepatologist with over 30 years’ experience, primarily at The Fiona Stanley & Fremantle Hospital Group. He planned the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Service for the Fiona Stanley Hospital and was Head Department from 2010 until 2020.
Professor John Olynyk was appointed as Associate Dean and Head of the Medical Discipline at Curtin University in 2023 until 2025 and is now Associate Director, Clinical Engagement, Curtin Medical Research Institute, Curtin University.
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At the frontier of human cellular neuroscience research
Associate Professor Cedric Bardy is the Director of The Laboratory for Human Neurophysiology, Genetics & Stem Cells, located at SAHMRI. South Australia.
His current research uses preclinical, patient-derived cell models to test innovative therapeutic strategies, with a current focus on Parkinson’s disease, brain cancer and childhood dementia (Sanfilippo syndrome).
His work has established a platform to facilitate the discovery and validation of treatments for brain disorders. Their research is at the frontier of human cellular neuroscience research and translational applications that benefit global public health.
