Gulshan Ali
My PhD project will investigate the relationship between obesity, and asthma, chronic pulmonary disease (COPD).
Impact of lifetime body mass index trajectories and asthma, lung function and COPD
Principal Supervisor’s name: Professor Shyamali Dharmage
Co-supervisors’ names: Associate Professor Adrian Low and Dr Dinh Bui
My PhD project will investigate the relationship between obesity, and asthma, chronic pulmonary disease (COPD). Obesity is a known risk factor for most non-communicable diseases. However, there are still controversies on the role of obesity in the aetiology and prognosis of asthma and COPD. By using the lifetime body mass index (BMI) trajectories, I will elucidate the potential causal associations between obesity and these diseases from childhood to adulthood in two large cohort studies; Melbourne Atopic Cohort Study (MACS) and Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study (TAHS). Furthermore, I will investigate if selected biomarkers mediate the associations between obesity and asthma, COPD and lung function.
PhD scholarship title and funding body: NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship (2019-2022)