Dr Yvonne Belessis
MBBS (Hons) University of New South Wales 1985
Fellow, Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP) 2001
Master of Public Health University of New South Wales 2004
PhD (Respiratory Medicine) University of New South Wales听 2010
Dr Yvonne Belessis is a Conjoint Senior Lecturer with the School of Women鈥檚 & Children鈥檚, 糖心logo Medicine.
Dr Belessis is also Senior Staff Specialist in Respiratory Medicine, Director of Flexible Bronchoscopy Services and the听Director听of Cystic Fibrosis Services听at Sydney Children鈥檚 Hospital.
Her main field of research is early airway infection and inflammation in children with cystic fibrosis (CF)听and she听is currently an Associate Investigator on two North American CF Foundation funded grants and听three听NHMRC-funded Project grants related to clinical research in CF.听 Her particular interest is in biomarkers of early CF lung disease and her PhD thesis was titled 鈥淎ssessment of non-invasive measures of early lung disease in infants and young children with cystic fibrosis.鈥澨 The main chapter from Dr Belessis鈥 thesis was published in the American Review of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.听
Dr Belessis is also a founding clinician of听the SCH Multidisciplinary Oesophageal Atresia-Tracheo-oesophageal Clinic established in 2011. This innovative clinic aims to provide best-practice, co-ordinated clinical care for children with this orphan lung disease from birth through to late adolescence.听 These children have long-term respiratory morbidity including recurrent aspiration, bacterial bronchitis and bronchiectasis and听restrictive lung disease which impacts on their quality of life in adulthood. Our aim is to support these children and their families and together achieve the best possible outcomes. Additonally collaborative research is听an important aspect of our clinic and prospective studies are currently in progress.
Research Interests
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Airway infection / inflammation
- Non-invasive biomarkers to detect early disease predict bronchiectasis
- Earlier targeted therapies
- Epidemiological studies
- Pathophysiology of lung disease in children
Society Memberships & Professional Activities
听
- Member of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand听
- Member of the European Respiratory Society听
- Member of the European Cystic Fibrosis Society
- Member of the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation Stearing Committee for Cystic Fibrosis
- Member of Australian Lung Foundation
- Member of the Infant Lung function Special Interest Group
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
$20,000听听听听听听听听听听 2015听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 SCH Foundation Seed Grant
鈥淪ensitive minimally-invasive听biomarkers of early lung disease in young children with Cystic Fibrosis"
CI: Dr Yvone Belessis, AI: Prof Adam Jaffe, Dr Steven Leach
$40, 000听听听听听听听听听 2015听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 糖心logo Goldstar Award
鈥淎ctivating cystic fibrosis conductance regulator expression: the therapeutic potential of RNA directed gene activation.鈥
AI: Co-applicant with A/Prof Kevin Morris and Prof Adam Jaffe
$385,000听听听听听听听听 2011听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听 National Health and Medical Research Council
鈥淐F-IDEA (Insulin Deficiency Early Action) 糖心logo鈥
AI: With Drs. Hameed, Field, Morton, Jaffe, Verge and T. Katz,
$50,000听听听听听听听听听听 2011听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听 Australasian Paediatric Endocrine Care Group
鈥淐F-IDEA (Insulin Deficiency Early Action) 糖心logo鈥
AI: With Drs. Hameed, Field, Morton, Jaffe, Verge and T. Katz,
$54,405.95听听听听 2010听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Australian Cystic Fibrosis Research Trust Grant听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
鈥淐F-IDEA (Insulin Deficiency Early Action) 糖心logo鈥听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 听听听听听
AI: Co-applicant with Dr Hameed, T. Katz, Dr Field, Dr Morton, Prof Jaffe, Dr Verge
$434,000听听听听听听听 2008-2011听听听听听听听 National Health and Medical Research Council
鈥淎 novel strategy targeting quorum sensing molecules and catalase function to block Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection.鈥 APP529309
AI: Co-applicant with Prof Jaffe, Dr Cooley and Prof Kyd
$96,097听听听听听听听听 听2008听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Australian Cystic Fibrosis Research Trust Grant
鈥淧seudomonas infection as an indirect cause of CF related Diabetes.鈥
AI: Co-applicant with Prof Jaffe, Dr Cooley, Dr Reid and Dr Roddam
$15,000听听听听听听听听听听 2007听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Sydney Children鈥檚 Hospital Health Promotion Grant听听听听听听听听听听听听
鈥Reducing tobacco related harm - offering smoking cessation interventions to parents/carers during their child's admission.鈥
CIA: Co-applicant with C. Burns, M. Gray, K. Luttrell, Prof A Jaffe
$15,000听听听听听听听听听听 2007听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Sydney Children鈥檚 Hospital Foundation Research Grant听
鈥淓ffect of body position on gastro-oesophageal reflux during chest physiotherapy in infants with cystic fibrosis.鈥
CIC: Co-applicant with Michael Doumit, Dr Krishnan, Prof Adam Jaffe
$15,000 听听听听听听听听听 2005听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Rebecca Cooper Research Fellowship Foundation Grant听
鈥淭he S100 proteins in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum as markers of early airway inflammation in cystic fibrosis.鈥
CIB: Co-applicant with Dr Steven Leach and A/Prof Andrew Day
ROCHE Prize Best Cystic Fibrosis Oral Presentation 2009
New Investigator Award 6th International Congress of Paediatric Pulmonology 2004
TOW Research Poster Prize Randwick Campus Hospitals 2004
National Young Investigator Award 5th Australasian Cystic Fibrosis Conference 2003
Sydney Children's Hospital Foundation Research Fellowship 2002
Best Clinical Teacher Sydney Children's Hospital 1997/1999/2000/2001
Chief Resident Sydney Childrens' Hospital 1998
MBBS Honours Class 11 Division 1 (top 12% of class of >220 students) 1985
DUX (top ranked student in HSC) of听Morefield Girls High School 1978