CHILD collaborator Dr. Zihang Lu has been awarded an Early Career Research Award in support of a research project using CHILD data that aims to develop a better method for diagnosing asthma in children.
In his project, titled Asthma phenotypes, risk factors and the implications for future management in Canadian children, Dr. Lu aims to explore the relationship between different known pathways to asthma and different asthma phenotypes, toward developing an improved method for identifying these pathways in early life. The research will use data from CHILD as well as from the Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium (CANUE), led by CHILD researcher Dr. Jeffrey Brooks.
“I hope, and I really do believe, that I can use my expertise to make a contribution that will improve patients’ lives,” comments Dr. Lu. “I’m also hoping to make a positive impact on improving patient care, advancing public health, and transforming the lives of those who are affected by diseases.”
Dr. Lu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Queen’s University. Previously, he was a biostatistician at the Hospital for Sick Children, where he worked on CHILD-related research on lung function in the lab of CHILD Director Dr. Padmaja Subbarao.
“We are thrilled at Dr. Lu receiving this well-deserved recognition, and excited to collaborate with him on this promising project,” says Dr. Subbarao.
The Early Career Research Award supports young Canadian researchers in the early stages of their career who are pursuing groundbreaking asthma research. It is granted by Asthma Canada together with partners AstraZeneca, the Canadian Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Foundation (CAAIF), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health (CIHR-ICRH), and the Canadian Lung Association (CLA).
