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In March, Asthma Australia was on the ground at two major health conferences, the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting (TSANZS) and the Australian Pharmacy Professional Conference and Trade Exhibition (APP) where we heard the latest news and research from the nation’s leading respiratory specialists researchers, industry and healthcare professionals.
Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting, Perth 27-31st March
This year’s Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting (TSANZS) was themed Lungs Under the Microscope.
Over the course of the four-day event, Asthma Australia was busy listening to the latest research and connecting with scientists, clinicians and healthcare staff who are dedicated to lung health. Our exhibition stand provided an opportunity to share our latest resources, as well as to directly speak with nurses and clinicians from across Australia about what people with asthma are experiencing in the health system – what’s working, what’s not, and where the gaps remain.
TSANZS also brought together the CEOs from the Lung Foundation Australia, the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand, the National Asthma Council Australia, Cystic Fibrosis Australia, as well as Asthma Australia’s CEO Kate Miranda, whose organisations together form the Lung Health Alliance.
Discussion centred on a shared national priority for 2026, recognising that respiratory diseases account for around 10% of Australia’s overall health burden but receive only 2% of research funding. This gap means people living with lung conditions are missing out on the attention and investment they need and the Alliance is committed to working together to change this over the coming year.
A highlight on the conference program for Asthma Australia was the session ‘Can Ai Cure Asthma?’ from the CURE Asthma research team. The presentations also sparked exciting conversations for respiratory researchers while cementing the need for people’s own lived experiences with asthma to remain at the heart of research innovation. Curing asthma is the next frontier for our research community. For more on Asthma Australia’s role in the Cure Asthma research project see here.
Asthma Australia is already looking forward to TSANZ in 2027.
Australian Pharmacy Professional Conference and Trade Exhibition
The Australian Pharmacy Professional Conference and Trade Exhibition (APP), is the largest pharmacy conference in the southern hemisphere, bringing together up to 7,500 proprietors, pharmacists, interns, students, pharmacy assistants and industry professionals for networking, ups-killing and professional development each year.
This year, APP was held on the Gold Coast (18-20 March) and Asthma Australia was lucky enough to join with pharmacists from across the country, including many new graduates, to engage in discussions around the role of pharmacists in asthma care.
Pharmacists are well positioned to support people with asthma through reviews, device checks, prescriptions, asthma action plans and vaccinations, and we look forward to continuing to work with Australian pharmacists on this.
Asthma Australia also shared updates on changes to asthma care, with new guidelines now encouraging the use of anti-inflammatory reliever medicines, which aim to better treat the underlying causes of asthma, not just the symptoms.
We extend our thanks to Bird Healthcare, Asthma Australia’s principal sponsor, for supporting our presence at APP.
