Anders Cervin

Honorary Professor Anders Cervin holds the Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams Foundation Chair in Otolaryngology at the University of Queensland, where he is affiliated with the UQ Centre for Clinical Research within the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences. With over 50 peer-reviewed publications and numerous book chapters, Professor Cervin has established himself as a leading expert in sino-nasal disorders and upper airway research.

Professor Cervin's research interests focus on chronic sinusitis, otitis media, and the alternative treatment with probiotics. His work explores mucociliary function in the upper airways, the role of Nitric Oxide in chronic sinusitis, the use of macrolide antibiotics as immune modulators, and health economic perspectives on sino-nasal disease. Recent research has addressed the role of probiotics in airway infection and inflammation, with a particular focus on identifying beneficial bacteria that can interfere with pathogenic bacteria common in chronic sinusitis and recurrent ear disease.

Analysis of Professor Cervin's recent publications (2021-2025) reveals a strong focus on microbiome research (particularly probiotics like Lactobacillus), chronic rhinosinusitis, and otitis media. His work spans basic science (in vitro studies of bacterial interactions), clinical trials (probiotic interventions), and epidemiological studies (microbiota across seasons and populations). Notably, his research has increasingly focused on Indigenous health, examining the upper respiratory tract microbiome of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

Professor Cervin is actively involved in mentoring the next generation of researchers. He currently supervises a Master's student working on "Testing a sinonasal microbiome transplant as a therapy for Chronic Rhinosinusitis by randomised controlled trial" and previously supervised a PhD student who researched "The microbiome of otitis media and development of a probiotic to prevent otitis media in Indigenous Australian children." His research is supported by significant funding, including an NHMRC MRFF grant (2021-2026) for testing sinonasal microbiome transplants and the Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams Memorial Foundation Chair (2017-2027).

Professor Cervin's research group focuses on developing novel treatments for chronic upper airway infections that could reduce antibiotic use and combat antibiotic resistance. Their work on identifying "friendly bacteria" that maintain health rather than targeting disease-causing pathogens represents a paradigm shift in treating upper airway infections.