Ahead of summer, when bushfires, heatwaves, thunderstorms, flooding and tropical cyclones are more likely to occur, one of our respiratory researchers is investigating the links between climate, weather and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections.

PhD Candidate Atha Rifqia Pradana joined researchers from around the world at The International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE) Conference in Munich to learn more.

“One of the highlights was a workshop on interrupted time series analysis, a method used to assess whether a specific event leads to a measurable change in an existing health trend,” said Atha.

“As someone still fairly new to infectious disease modelling, I found the session incredibly insightful and it opened up new ways of thinking about my research on NTM, environmental bacteria that naturally found in soil and water, particularly how climate and weather events may influence infection patterns in Queensland.

“I’m excited to explore whether events such as cyclones and bushfires could leave measurable signals in those patterns.

“I was very honoured to present our e-ASIA collaboration on NTM pulmonary infections across Queensland, Cambodia, Japan, Thailand, and the United States.

“Beyond presenting, one of my favourite parts of the conference was meeting so many great researchers working across climate and health.

Atha was able to attend the ISEE Conference, thanks to UQ, the Research Development Award, and the Joan Allsop Scholarship.