Better Breathing Foundation (BBF) and Lung Foundation Australia (LFA) is delighted to announce the winner of its 2018 PhD Scholarship in Allied Health Research.
Congratulations to Fiona Coll from Curtin University who will be undertaking a research project titled “Stand up for COPD”. Her research will determine the impact of combining pulmonary rehabilitation with a behavioural intervention to promote more light intensity activities (e.g. standing) on health outcomes in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Sedentary time will be evaluated before and after the 8 week intervention using state of the art wearable technology.
Fiona’s scholarship will allow her to undertake a PhD commencing in 2018 through Curtin University who have also agreed to co-fund the scholarship. In her application, Fiona said, “Reducing sedentary time has become a National Health Priority Area and this randomised clinical trial will address the issue of high sedentary time in a clinical population which is characterised by increased risk of cardio-metabolic disease. If this behaviour change intervention is effective, it can be incorporated into pulmonary rehabilitation programs immediately as these programs are provided throughout Australia and the world. The results of this study will also be transferrable to other chronic health conditions characterised by too much sitting, such as chronic heart failure, stroke and obesity.”
BBF and LFA wish Fiona the best with the pursuit of her postgraduate research studies in 2018.
BBF is a not for profit organisation with the primary objective to support early career health research students to conduct high quality research on chronic lung diseases. LFA is is a national charity that aims to reduce the impact of lung disease in Australia through awareness, support, advocacy, education and research.