SLEEP AND BREATHING (poster discussion session): Sleep, the heart and muscles

Tracks
Track 4
Thursday, November 12, 2026
3:45 PM - 5:15 PM

Speaker

Ms Thi Cham Nguyen
PhD candidate
Flinders Health / Medical Research Institute / Flagship Sleep Health Program College of Medicine and Public Health

Body position affects critical closing pressures during drug-induced sleep endoscopy

3:45 PM - 3:51 PM

Biography

Cham Nguyen is an NHMRC Ideas Grant-funded PhD candidate at the College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University. Her doctoral research applies artificial intelligence and non-contact sensing to estimate sleep breathing disorder endotypes and investigates the impact of body position on sleep apnoea and its phenotypes. Building on an engineering background and industry experience as a surveyor, She integrates this technical background into her research through programming and analytical tools.
Dr Benjamin Tong
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
University of Sydney

Association of cardiovascular risk markers and nocturia in sleep apnoea

3:51 PM - 3:57 PM

Biography

Dr. Benjamin Tong is a Postdoctoral Research Associate with the Sleep Research Group at the Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney and Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine at Royal North Shore Hospital. He completed his PhD in respiratory phenotyping of obstructive sleep apnoea at Neuroscience Research Australia. He has a keen interest in novel sleep and respiratory measurement technology and novel therapeutic approaches for sleep disordered breathing. His current research aims to understand the pathophysiological interactions between sleep and cardiovascular health.
Miss Joanne M Flood
PhD Student
University of Sydney

Sleep apnoea-specific heart rate response: An event-by-event level analysis.

3:57 PM - 4:03 PM

Biography

Joanne Flood is a PhD researcher in sleep medicine at the University of Sydney, focusing on the temporal dynamics of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Her research uses wearable technologies, physiological signal analysis, and predictive modelling to better understand night-to-night variability and improve OSA diagnosis. She is also a Research Assistant within the Sleep Research Group at the Charles Perkins Centre, contributing to clinical trials, large-scale data analysis, and peer-reviewed publications and conference abstracts. Joanne holds a Master of Philosophy and a Master of Biomedical Engineering from the University of New South Wales.
Prof Jillian Dorrian
Professor Of Psychology
Adelaide University

Maternal sleep, breathing, and position and fetal heart-rate during pregnancy

4:03 PM - 4:09 PM

Biography

I am a Professor of Psychology at Adelaide University with a PhD in sleep and chronobiology and a Master of Biostatistics. I have analytic experience with skills in longitudinal modelling and psychometric approaches. I work with researchers and industry partners to understand how sleep and daily rhythms shape performance and how people manage demanding schedules. My research supports wellbeing and safety in sectors such as healthcare, transport, forestry, and education. I have a special interest in sleep during pregnancy.
Dr Jessica Waller
Lead Clinical Dentist
Myofunctional Research Company

Evaluation of Paediatric Sleep-Disordered Breathing Following Myofunctional Intervention: 12-Month Study

4:09 PM - 4:15 PM

Biography

Dr Jessica Waller graduated in Dentistry from Griffith University in 2012, receiving the Griffith Award for Academic Excellence. Dr Waller joined Myofunctional Research Company (MRC) in 2014 working across the Myobrace® Centers and as part of the lecturing team, and is currently the Lead Clinical Dentist. In 2019, Dr Waller completed a Graduate Diploma in Orthodontics through the City of London Dental School via Dr Derek Mahony's EODO programme. Dr Waller is about to commence a Master of Science in Medicine (Sleep Medicine) at the University of Sydney to further advance her expertise in the myofunctional and airway-focused fields.
Ms Yongsijia (Andrea) Wei
Clinical Physiologist
University of Otago

Same Ethnicity, Different Setting: Comparing Australasian Chinese OSA Cohorts

4:15 PM - 4:21 PM

Biography

Andrea is a clinical physiologist who has completed her Post Graduate training in sleep technology (PG MTEC). She has an interest in sleep populations and also the use of technology to improve PAP adherence.
Mr Aaron Matthews
Sleep Scientist
The Royal Melbourne Hospital

MSLTs: Can hypersomnolence be excluded with <6 hours sleep

4:21 PM - 4:27 PM

Biography

Sleep Scientist, working at The Royal Melbourne Hospital since 2007.
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Dr Nicole Grivell
Implementation Scientist
Flinders University

MND and sleep: a qualitative exploration of patient/carer perspectives

4:27 PM - 4:33 PM

Biography

Nicole Grivell is an implementation scientist and early career qualitative researcher who works at FHMRI Sleep Health at Flinders University and in the Breathing, Exercise, and Sleep Therapies in Neuromuscular Disease group at University of Melbourne. She also holds an honorary position as an Implementation Scientist at the Institute for Breathing and Sleep. Her research focuses on improving care for people with motor neurone disease and her research interests include the sleep and breathing of people with MND, implementation of new models of care, and consumer engagement in research.
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Ms Alexandra Childs
Sleep Scientist
The Prince Charles Hospital / Sleep Disorders Centre

Sleep and breathing treatment needs of Australians with Muscular Dystrophy

4:33 PM - 4:39 PM

Biography

Alex is a University of Queensland Doctoral Candidate and Sleep Scientist at The Prince Charles Hospital. Her thesis focusses on defining the effectiveness of Non-invasive Ventilation in the Myotonic cohort. She works closely with the Myotonic and MD community to conduct research that reflects stakeholder needs and priorities.
Ms Shiwen Zhang
PhD student
Monash University

Age and weight status affect paediatric heart rate variability

4:39 PM - 4:45 PM

Biography

Shiwen Zhang is a second-year PhD student in the Department of Paediatrics at Monash University. Her research investigates whether age affects the consequences of weight status and sleep-disordered breathing in children. She is currently examining how these factors influence cardiovascular control in preschool and primary school-aged children.
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Dr Lucia Pinilla
Research Fellow
Flinders University

Co-Chair

Biography

Prof Scott Sands
Associate Professor of Medicine
Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School

Co-chair

Biography

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