A groundbreaking change in asthma management

  Host: Helen Reddel

  Thursday 10 July 2025, 12pm – 1.30pm 

  G03 Theatre, Ainsworth Building, 1 Wally’s Walk, Macquarie University

Overview

Ask anyone in the street how asthma is treated, and their answer will usually be “a blue puffer” (or a well-known brand of asthma inhaler). These inhalers have been the first and main asthma treatment for most people with asthma for the past 50 years. However, in the last couple of years, there has been a fundamental change in medical guidelines about how asthma should be treated, including in patients with the mildest asthma.

This Seminar will be presented by Professor Helen Reddel, Chair of the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) Science Committee, which publishes annually updated international asthma guidelines. Professor Reddel will explain the research evidence behind the recent changes in asthma guidelines, will describe how the new approach greatly reduces the risk of having severe asthma attacks, and will explore some of the challenges that are faced in replacing long-established treatment strategies.

Biography

Professor Reddel is a Research Leader at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Macquarie University, Director of the Australian Centre for Airways disease Monitoring (ACAM), and a respiratory physician at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. She is a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences at Macquarie University and an Adjunct Professor in the Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health at The University of Sydney. As Chair of the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) Science Committee.

Professor Reddel has led major evidence-based changes in clinical recommendations for asthma management, with a strong focus on making guidelines not only evidence-based, but also patient-centred and practical. Professor Reddel’s current research includes population monitoring of asthma and COPD, a large multinational observational study investigating features and underlying mechanisms of airways disease, and qualitative research about patient perspectives in mild and severe asthma. 

Contact Us

For more details about the series, contact us at fmhhs.executive.dean@mq.edu.au.