Dr Dwan Vilcins
Research Fellow (Environmental Scientist)
Child Health Research Centre
Researcher biography
Dwan is an environmental epidemiologist, with a particular interest in children's environmental health. Her current research explores the following:
- Environmentally persistent free radicals, air pollution, and children's lung outcomes
- Maternal exposure to green space, ambient temperature and air pollution and the association with neonatal and child outcomes
- The knowledge of GPs and naturopaths on environmental health issues for preconception care
- Exposures to phthalates and allergic disease
Dwan has a background in public health and nutrition. She is a founder and co-host of the R Peer Group at UQ/QIMR
Book Chapter
Vilcins, Dwan and Sly, Peter D. (2024). Asthma, allergy, and the environment. Textbook of children's environmental health. (pp. 650-660) edited by Ruth A. Etzel and Philip J. Landrigan. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/oso/9780197662526.003.0048
Journal Articles
Vilcins, Dwan, Dangal, Prakash, Lomnicki, Slawomir, Cormier, Stephania A., Lee, Wen Ray and Sly, Peter D. (2025). Household dust as a reservoir for environmentally persistent free radicals: a longitudinal study. International Journal of Environmental Health Research, ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print), 1-12. doi: 10.1080/09603123.2025.2495202
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
Nazli, Siti Nurshahida, Vilcins, Dwan, Sly, Peter D., Razak, Azli Abd, Sabri, Nurhidayah and Ibrahim, Tengku Nilam Baizura Tengku (2024). Indoor air quality: bibliometric analysis of the published literature between 2018 and 2023. Environmental Quality Management, 34 (1) e22297. doi: 10.1002/tqem.22297
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
Robinson, Paul D. and Vilcins, Dwan (2024). Clearing the air: Understanding the long‐term lung effects of the Hazelwood coal mine fire. Respirology, 29 (9), 743-744. doi: 10.1111/resp.14797
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
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
Takashima, Mari D., Grimwood, Keith, Vilcins, Dwan, Knibbs, Luke D., Sly, Peter D., Lambert, Stephen B. and Ware, Robert S. (2024). Association of antenatal and early childhood air pollution and greenspace exposures with respiratory pathogen upper airway acquisitions and respiratory health outcomes. International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 34 (9), 3147-3160. doi: 10.1080/09603123.2023.2299225
Vilcins, Dwan, Christofferson, Rebecca C., Yoon, Jin-Ho, Nazli, Siti Nurshahida, Sly, Peter D., Cormier, Stephania A. and Shen, Guofeng (2024). Updates in air pollution: current research and future challenges. Annals of Global Health, 90 (1) 9, 9. doi: 10.5334/aogh.4363
McIntyre, Erica, Prior, Jason, Catling, Christine, Legg, Rupert, Vilcins, Dwan, Frawley, Jane, Perry, Clare, Henry, Amanda, Rojas, Christina and Eapen, Valsamma (2023). Urban environmental exposures during the first 2000 days of life as a foundation for health across the life-course: a scoping review. Public Health Research and Practice, 33 (4) e3342334, 1-9. doi: 10.17061/phrp3342334
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
Vilcins, Dwan, Baker, Peter, Jagals, Paul and Sly, Peter D. (2023). Secular trends of birthweight in a population of live-born, singletons, without congenital anomalies in Queensland, Australia. Journal of Public Health, 32 (4), 701-711. doi: 10.1007/s10389-023-01841-4
Vilcins, Dwan, Sly, Peter D., Scarth, Peter and Mavoa, Suzanne (2022). Green space in health research: an overview of common indicators of greenness. Reviews on Environmental Health, 39 (2), 1-11. doi: 10.1515/reveh-2022-0083
McRae, Angus, Vilcins, Dwan, Le, Hong Huynh Thi Cam, Gorman, Julia, Brune Drisse, Marie Noel, Onyon, Lesley, Sly, Peter D. and Islam, Mohammad Zahirul (2022). Lead in traditional and complementary medicine: a systematic review. Reviews on Environmental Health, 39 (1), 111-120. doi: 10.1515/reveh-2022-0079
Sly, Peter D., Trottier, Brittany, Ikeda-Araki, Atsuko and Vilcins, Dwan (2022). Environmental impacts on infectious disease: a literature view of epidemiological evidence. Annals of Global Health, 88 (1) 91, 1-9. doi: 10.5334/aogh.3670
Caut, Cherie, Schoenaker, Danielle, Mcintyre, Erica, Vilcins, Dwan, Gavine, Anna and Steel, Amie (2022). Relationships between women's and men's modifiable preconception risks and health behaviors and maternal and offspring health outcomes: an umbrella review. Seminars in Reproductive Medicine, 40 (3-4), 170-183. doi: 10.1055/s-0042-1744257
Sly, Peter D. and Vilcins, Dwan (2021). Climate impacts on air quality and child health and wellbeing: implications for Oceania. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 57 (11), 1805-1810. doi: 10.1111/jpc.15650
Vilcins, Dwan, Baker, Peter, Jagals, Paul and Sly, Peter D. (2021). The association of ambient temperature with extremely preterm births. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 25 (10), 1638-1645. doi: 10.1007/s10995-021-03203-6
Vilcins, Dwan and Sly, Peter D. (2021). Early life origins of chronic non-communicable diseases: towards the future. Paediatric Respiratory Reviews, 40, 1-2. doi: 10.1016/j.prrv.2021.06.001
Cortes-Ramirez, J., Vilcins, D., Jagals, P. and Soares Magalhaes, R. J. (2021). Environmental and sociodemographic risk factors associated with environmentally transmitted zoonoses hospitalisations in Queensland, Australia. One Health, 12 100206, 100206. doi: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2020.100206
Vilcins, Dwan, Cortes-Ramirez, Javier, Currie, Danielle and Preston, Paige (2021). Early environmental exposures and life-long risk of chronic non-respiratory disease. Paediatric Respiratory Reviews, 40, 33-38. doi: 10.1016/j.prrv.2021.05.004
Vilcins, Dwan, Scarth, Peter, Sly, Peter D., Jagals, Paul, Knibbs, Luke and Baker, Peter (2020). The association of fractional cover, foliage projective cover and biodiversity with birthweight. Science of The Total Environment, 763 143051, 143051. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143051
Cloud, Alexa, Vilcins, Dwan and McEwen, Bradley (2020). The effect of hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) on blood pressure: A systematic review. Advances in Integrative Medicine, 7 (3), 167-175. doi: 10.1016/j.aimed.2019.09.002
Vilcins, Dwan, Baker, Peter, Jagals, Paul and Sly, Peter D. (2020). Association of maternal and social characteristics with age-standardised birthweight. Journal of Public Health, 30 (2), 373-383. doi: 10.1007/s10389-020-01292-1
Vilcins, Dwan, Sly, Peter D. and Jagals, Paul (2018). Environmental risk factors associated with child stunting: a systematic review of the literature. Annals of Global Health, 84 (4), 551-562. doi: 10.29024/aogh.2361
Conference Papers
Callaghan, Thomas J., Lau, Colleen, Cobbold, Rowland N., Vilcins, Dwan, Smith, James J., Sherlock, Robin and Soares Magalhães, Ricardo J. (2024). Profiling the global frequency of Campylobacter-associated hospitalisations: Systematic review and meta-analyses of outbreak sources and AMR infections. SAAFE CRC Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions Summit, Adelaide, SA Australia, 17-18 September 2024.
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
ONeill, Boissiere T., Lee, W., Blake, T., Sly, P. and Vilcins, D. (2024). Endocrine-disrupting plasticisers and childhood lung function: A systematic review and meta-analysis. 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: Wiley.
Lee, Wen Ray, Sly, Peter David, Lomnicki, Slawo, Cormier, Stephania and Vilcins, Dwan (2023). Free radicals by-products of air pollution in Australian households. ISEE 2023: 35th Annual Conference of the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 17-21 September 2023. Research Triangle Park, NC United States: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. doi: 10.1289/isee.2023.pk-036
Vilcins, Dwan, Lee, Wen Ray, Cormier, Stephania, Lomnicki, Slawo and Sly, Peter David (2023). Environmentally persistent free radicals in household dust: longitudinal and seasonal trends. ISEE 2023: 35th Annual Conference of the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 17-21 September 2023. Research Triangle Park, NC United States: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. doi: 10.1289/isee.2023.op-345
Vilcins, Dwan, Lee, Wen Ray, Cormier, Stephania, Lomnicki, Slawo and Sly, Peter David (2023). A pilot study to determine the impact of prescribed burns on indoor air quality and associated health impacts for residents. ISEE 2023: 35th Annual Conference of the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 17-21 September 2023. Research Triangle Park, NC United States: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. doi: 10.1289/isee.2023.op-344
Vilcins, Dwan (2023). The interplay between environmental exposures and COVID-19 risks in the health of children. ISEE 2023: 35th Annual Conference of the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 17-21 September 2023. Research Triangle Park, NC United States: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. doi: 10.1289/isee.2023.sa-123
Vilcins, D (2020). Environmental hazards in the preconception period. 6th World Congress on Public Health 2020 Public Health for the future of humanity: analysis, advocacy and action, Online, 12 – 16 October 2020. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckaa165.854
Mcintyre, Erica and Vilcins, Dwan (2019). Managing the challenges and opportunities of planetary health: critical considerations for traditional, complementary and integrative medicine. 14th International Congress on Complementary Research, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 7-10 May 2019. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.aimed.2019.03.090
Thesis
Vilcins, Dwan (2020). Novel green space measures and birthweight in Queensland, Australia. PhD Thesis, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/uql.2020.239