Vanessa Clark

Dr. Vanessa Clark is a Lecturer at the University of Newcastle's School of Nursing and Midwifery and a post-doctoral researcher within the Centre for Research Excellence in Severe Asthma. Her work focuses on translational asthma research, examining the best approaches for managing severe asthma from primary care, tertiary care, and patient perspectives. She earned her PhD from the University of Newcastle in 2015 and holds a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) from the same institution.

Dr. Clark's research expertise spans quantitative and qualitative methods, with experience in multi-center randomized controlled trials. Her primary research interests include respiratory diseases (particularly severe asthma), chronic illness management, health behaviors, and mental health. She has conducted research on several chronic diseases including cancer and severe mental disorders, with a strong focus on the intersection between physical and mental health in chronic respiratory conditions.

Her extensive publication record demonstrates a clear focus on patient-centered approaches to severe asthma management, with particular attention to breathlessness, mental health comorbidities, and quality of life impacts. Recent work has explored the relationship between anxiety/depression and asthma control, the experience of living with asthma and vocal cord dysfunction, and the implementation of multidimensional assessment approaches for severe asthma.

Dr. Clark has supervised PhD students on topics related to person-centered care in severe asthma and anxiety/depression in severe asthma. She has secured significant research funding, including a $1.5 million grant in 2024 for a multicomponent digital intervention targeting breathlessness and physical activity in severe asthma. Her research is conducted through the Centre for Research Excellence in Severe Asthma and the Priority Research Centre for Healthy Lungs.