Estrella Paterson

Dr. Estrella Paterson serves as an Affiliate of the School of Psychology and Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of Business at The University of Queensland's Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences. With a PhD in Psychology from UQ (2020), her research bridges human factors engineering and healthcare systems design.

Her primary research focuses on human factors in medical device design, particularly auditory display systems for pulse oximetry in anesthesia, and more recently healthcare control centers for patient flow management. Early work optimized oxygen saturation monitoring through innovative sonification techniques to reduce alarm fatigue and improve clinician response times. Current research applies cognitive engineering principles to healthcare system coordination, examining how control centers manage patient flow during capacity crises.

Analysis of her publication timeline reveals a strategic evolution from medical device human factors (2016-2020) toward macro-level healthcare systems (2021-2025), demonstrating increasing scope from operating room equipment to institutional workflow management. Key collaborators include Penelope Sanderson, Robert Loeb, and Neil Paterson across multiple disciplines.

Dr. Paterson has secured competitive funding including a 2018-2019 Australian & New Zealand College of Anaesthetists Open Grant for simulator-based pulse oximeter evaluation. She maintains active supervision availability for research students through UQ's College of Supervisors program, though no current advisees are listed in public profiles.

Her laboratory work spans UQ's medical simulation facilities and healthcare control center field studies, with strong industry connections through anesthesia professional organizations. Future research directions appear focused on scaling human factors solutions to complex healthcare coordination challenges exacerbated by pandemic-era capacity pressures.