Dr Tamara Blake
Research Fellow (Respiratory Physiology) & Respiratory Scientist
Child Health Research Centre
Researcher biography
Tamara is a trained respiratory scientist and has 7 years' experience in measuring the lung function of children aged 3-18 years. She has recently completed her PhD whereby she validated the use of normal healthy reference values for two lung function tests (spirometry and fractional exhaled nitric oxide) for children who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. She has a particular interest in childhood respiratory illnesses such as cystic fibrosis and asthma, emerging clinical measurement techniques, as well as Australian First Nations respiratory health. Her current research aims to better understand the mechanisms of early CF lung disease and to improve current clinical outcome measures to aid in appropriate CF management.
Journal Articles
Douglas, Tonia, Deery, Maddison, Kimball, Hayley, Cobham, Vanessa E., Panochini, Sophia, Robinson, Paul D., Wainwright, Claire E., Sly, Peter D. and Blake, Tamara (2024). Mental health, behaviour and sleep quality in children 6–11 years before and after elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor initiation. Journal of Cystic Fibrosis. doi: 10.1016/j.jcf.2024.10.002
Vilcins, Dwan, Lee, Wen R, Blake, Tamara L., Wu, Wenbo, Cormier, Stephania and Sly, Peter D. (2024). Reply to Myers and Rosser: A comment about studying the health effects of smoke produced by prescribed fire. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 210 (11), 1384-1385. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202408-1614le
Vilcins, Dwan, Lee, Wen Ray, Pham, Cindy, Tanner, Sam, Knibbs, Luke D., Burgner, David, Blake, Tamara L., Mansell, Toby, Ponsonby, Anne-Louise, Sly, Peter D. and Barwon Infant Study Investigator Group (2024). Association of Maternal Air Pollution Exposure and Infant Lung Function Is Modified by Genetic Propensity to Oxidative Stress. Children, 11 (8) 937, 1-12. doi: 10.3390/children11080937
Vilcins, Dwan, Lee, Wen R., Blake, Tamara L., Wu, Wenbo, Cormier, Stephania and Sly, Peter D. (2024). Assessing the impact of wildfire smoke exposure on lung health: A pilot feasibility study using prescribed fires as a model. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 210 (7), 936-937. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202403-0625RL
Wong, Matthew D., Condon, Kathleena, Robinson, Paul D., Suresh, Sadasivam, Zahir, Syeda Farah, Sly, Peter D. and Blake, Tamara L. (2024). Assessment of bronchodilator response in preschoolers: A systematic review. Pediatric Pulmonology, 59 (11), 1-16. doi: 10.1002/ppul.27112
Collaro, Andrew J., Foong, Rachel, Chang, Anne B., Marchant, Julie M., Blake, Tamara L., Cole, Johanna F., Pearson, Glenn, Hii, Rebecca, Brown, Henry, Chatfield, Mark D., Hall, Graham and McElrea, Margaret S. (2024). Which reference equation should we use for interpreting spirometry values for First Nations Australians? A cross‐sectional study. Medical Journal of Australia, 220 (10), 523-529. doi: 10.5694/mja2.52306
Wong, Matthew D., Blake, Tamara L., Zahir, Syeda F., Suresh, Sadasivam, Hantos, Zoltán, Grimwood, Keith, Lambert, Stephen B., Ware, Robert S. and Sly, Peter D. (2024). Longitudinal tracking of intrabreath respiratory impedance in preschool children. Pediatric Pulmonology, 59 (7), 1885-1893. doi: 10.1002/ppul.26994
Blake, Tamara L, Sly, Peter D, Andersen, Isabella, Wainwright, Claire E, Reid, David W, Bell, Scott C, Smith, Briana R, Kettle, Anthony J and Dickerhof, Nina (2024). Changes in urinary glutathione sulfonamide (GSA) levels between admission and discharge of patients with cystic fibrosis. Journal of Cystic Fibrosis, 23 (6), 1163-1166. doi: 10.1016/j.jcf.2024.04.009
Boissiere-O’Neill, Thomas, Lee, Wen R., Blake, Tamara L., Sly, Peter D. and Vilcins, Dwan (2024). Exposure to endocrine-disrupting plasticisers and lung function in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Environmental Research, 243 117751, 117751. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117751
Vilcins, Dwan, Blake, Tamara L., Sly, Peter D., Saffery, Richard, Ponsonby, Anne‐Louise, Burgner, David, Tang, Mimi L. K., Reid, Natasha and Barwon Infant Study Investigator Group (2023). Effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on infant lung function, wheeze, and respiratory infections in Australian children. Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research, 47 (12), 2278-2287. doi: 10.1111/acer.15205
Collaro, Andrew J., Chang, Anne B., Marchant, Julie M., Vicendese, Don, Chatfield, Mark D., Cole, Johanna F., Blake, Tamara L. and McElrea, Margaret S. (2023). Developing fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) predicted and upper limit of normal values for a disadvantaged population. Chest, 163 (3), 624-633. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2022.10.014
Collaro, Andrew J., Chang, Anne B., Marchant, Julie M., Chatfield, Mark D., Vicendese, Don, Blake, Tamara L., McElrea, Margaret S. and Dharmage, Shyamali C. (2021). Early childhood pneumonia is associated with reduced lung function and asthma in first nations Australian children and young adults. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 10 (24) 5727, 5727. doi: 10.3390/jcm10245727
Collaro, Andrew J., Chang, Anne B., Marchant, Julie M., Chatfield, Mark D., Blake, Tamara L. and McElrea, Margaret S. (2021). How do Cormic Index profiles contribute to differences in spirometry values between White and First Nations Australian children?. Pediatric Pulmonology, 56 (12), 3966-3974. doi: 10.1002/ppul.25692
Collaro, Andrew J., Chang, Anne B., Marchant, Julie M., Chatfield, Mark D., Dent, Annette, Blake, Tamara, Mawn, Patsi, Fong, Kwun and McElrea, Margaret S (2021). Associations between lung function and future cardiovascular morbidity and overall mortality in a predominantly First Nations population: a cohort study. The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, 13 100188, 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2021.100188
Collaro, Andrew J., Chang, Anne B., Marchant, Julie M., Chatfield, Mark D., Dent, Annette, Blake, Tamara, Mawn, Patsi, Fong, Kwun and McElrea, Margaret S. (2021). Determinants and Follow-up of Lung Function Data from a Predominantly First Nations Cohort of Adults Referred to Specialist Respiratory Outreach Clinics in Regional and Remote Queensland. Lung, 199 (4), 417-425. doi: 10.1007/s00408-021-00453-7
Sly, Peter, Blake, Tamara and Islam, Zahir (2021). Impact of prenatal and early life environmental exposures on normal human development. Paediatric Respiratory Reviews, 40, 10-14. doi: 10.1016/j.prrv.2021.05.007
Blake, Tamara L., Chang, Anne B., Marchant, Julie M. and McElrea, Margaret S. (2020). Respiratory health profile of Indigenous Australian children and young adults. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 56 (7), 1066-1071. doi: 10.1111/jpc.14817
Blake, Tamara L., Chang, Anne B., Chatfield, Mark D., Marchant, Julie M., Petsky, Helen L. and McElrea, Margaret S. (2020). How does parent/self-reporting of common respiratory conditions compare with medical records among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) children and young adults?. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 56 (1), 55-60. doi: 10.1111/jpc.14490
Blake, Tamara L., Chang, Anne B., Chatfield, Mark D., Marchant, Julie M., Petsky, Helen L. and McElrea, Margaret S. (2019). Fractional exhaled nitric oxide values in Indigenous Australians 3 to 16 years of age. Chest, 156 (2), 239-246. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2019.02.401
Blake, Tamara L., Chang, Anne B., Chatfield, Mark D., Marchant, Julie M. and McElrea, Margaret S. (2019). Global Lung Function Initiative‐2012 ‘other/mixed’ spirometry reference equation provides the best overall fit for Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children and young adults. Respirology, 25 (3) resp.13649, 281-288. doi: 10.1111/resp.13649
Blake, Tamara L., Chang, Anne B., Chatfield, Mark D., Petsky, Helen L., Rodwell, Leanne T., Brown, Michael G., Hill, Deb C. and McElrea, Margaret S. (2017). Does ethnicity influence fractional exhaled nitric oxide in healthy individuals?: a systematic review. Chest, 152 (1), 40-50. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2017.02.007
Blake, Tamara L., Chang, Anne B., Petsky, Helen L., Rodwell, Leanne T., Brown, Michael G., Hill, Debra C., Thompson, Bruce and McElrea, Margaret S. (2016). Spirometry reference values in Indigenous Australians: a systematic review. Medical Journal of Australia, 205 (1), 35-40. doi: 10.5694/mja16.00226
Conference Papers
Vilcins, Dwan, Lee, Wen Ray, Pham, Cindy, Tanner, Sam, Knibbs, Luke D., Burgner, Dave, Blake, Tamara L., Mansell, Toby, Ponsonby, Anne Louise and Sly, Peter (2024). Association of maternal air pollution exposure and infant lung function is modified by genetic propensity to oxidative stress. ISEE 2024: 36th Annual Conference of the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology, Santiago, Chile, 25-28 August 2024. Research Triangle Park, NC United States: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. doi: 10.1289/isee.2024.0021
Deery, Maddison, Blake, Tamara, Cobham, Vanessa, Kimball, Hayley, Sly, Peter, Wainwright, Claire and Douglas, Tonia (2024). Anxiety, resilience and quality of life in children with cystic fibrosis. 15th Australasian Cystic Fibrosis Conference, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 2–4 August 2024. Richmond, VIC Australia: John Wiley & Sons.
Deery, Maddison, Blake, Tamara, Cobham, Vanessa, Kimball, Hayley, Panochini, Sophia, Sly, Peter, Wainwright, Claire and Douglas, Tonia (2024). Mental health and sleep quality in children receiving elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor therapy. 15th Australasian Cystic Fibrosis Conference, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 2–4 August 2024. Richmond, VIC Australia: John Wiley & Sons.
Blake, T., Deery, M., Cobham, V., Kimball, H., Panochini, S., Sly, P., Wainwright, C. and Douglas, T. (2024). Mental health and sleep quality in children receiving elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor therapy. 47th European Cystic Fibrosis Conference, Glasgow, United Kingdom, 5-8 June 2024. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/s1569-1993(24)00121-8
Blake, T., Condon, K., Panochini, S., Wainwright, C., Sly, P. and Robinson, P. (2024). Feasibility of home-based oscillometry monitoring in paediatric cystic fibrosis. 47th European Cystic Fibrosis Conference, Glasgow, United Kingdom, 5-8 June 2024. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/s1569-1993(24)00433-8
Blake, T., Deery, M., Robinson, P., Wainwright, C. and Sly, P. (2024). Variability of intra-breath oscillometry in children with cystic fibrosis. 47th European Cystic Fibrosis Conference, Glasgow, United Kingdom, 5-8 June 2024. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/s1569-1993(24)00432-6
Wong, M., Condon, K., Blake, T., Suresh, S., Hantos, Z., Zahir, S., Robinson, P. and Sly, P. (2024). Defining a bronchodilator response using intra-breath oscillometry in healthy preschoolers. TSANZSRS 2024 The Australia & New Zealand Society of Respiratory Science and The Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (ANZSRS/TSANZ) Annual Scientific Meeting for Leaders in Lung Health & Respiratory Science, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia, 22-26 March 2024. Richmond, VIC, Australia: John Wiley & Sons. doi: 10.1111/resp.14673
Blake, Tamara, Chatfield, Mark, Chang, Anne, Petsky, Helen and Mcelrea, Margaret (2018). Spirometry reference values for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) children and young adults. 28th International Congress of the European-Respiratory-Society (ERS), Paris France, 15-19 September 2018. Lausanne, Switzerland: European Respiratory Society. doi: 10.1183/13993003.congress-2018.OA3777
Blake, Tamara, Chatfield, Mark, Chang, Anne, Petsky, Helen and Mcelrea, Margaret (2018). Self-reported and medical chart histories of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) children and young adults. 28th International Congress of the European-Respiratory-Society (ERS), Paris France, 15-19 September 2018. Lausanne, Switzerland: European Respiratory Society. doi: 10.1183/13993003.congress-2018.PA4682