Vidya Navaratnam

Dr Vidya Navaratnam serves as Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Western Australia Medical School and Respiratory Consultant at Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital. She leads the Respiratory Epidemiology research group at the Institute for Respiratory Health and holds an active role as Associate Editor for Thorax: The Journal of the British Thoracic Society.

Education:

• PhD in IPF Epidemiology, University of Nottingham (2014)
• MSc Epidemiology (Distinction), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (2014)
• BMBS Medicine, University of Nottingham (2005)

Dr Navaratnam's research focuses on interstitial lung diseases, particularly idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis epidemiology, pulmonary hypertension, and bronchiectasis. Her work integrates clinical practice with epidemiological methods to address unmet needs in respiratory medicine. She has established significant research collaborations across Australia and the UK, with particular emphasis on disease burden, treatment outcomes, and novel biomarker discovery.

Her recent publications demonstrate strong trends in respiratory epidemiology, with 15+ articles (2023-2025) covering interstitial lung disease incidence/survival, bronchiectasis comorbidities, asthma biomarkers, and rare disease interactions. Key thematic areas include disease progression modeling, real-world treatment effectiveness, and psychological impacts of chronic respiratory conditions.

Scientific Awards:

• PHSANZ Best Oral Abstract Presentation (2022)
• TSANZ SIG Occupational and Environmental Lung Disease/Population Health Award (2021)

Dr Navaratnam actively supervises research students and has secured over $5 million in competitive grants since 2018, including MRFF Chronic Respiratory Conditions funding and multiple industry-sponsored clinical trials. Her current projects include the UNFOLD Study and five active Boehringer Ingelheim trials targeting bronchiectasis and pulmonary fibrosis.

She leads the Respiratory Epidemiology research group at the Institute for Respiratory Health and serves on the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence for Pulmonary Fibrosis committee, driving collaborative research initiatives across Australian respiratory networks.