Projects
Morbidity post COVID-19 - investigation and call to action
2020 RBWH Foundation COVID-19 Research Grant
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Project description
Professor Robert Boots, PhD Student Anthony Trojman are part of a multi-disciplinary team which is one of the first in the world studying ‘Long COVID’, and how it impacts everyday living for the people it affects.
Why this work is needed
The immediate effects of COVID-19 can be extremely severe and have been well documented. However, it has been found that 80% of patients with COVID-19 developed one or more long-term symptoms (Lopez-Leon, S., et al., More than 50 Long-term effects of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. MedRxiv, 2021: p. 2021.01.27.21250617).
These longer-term effects – often referred to as ‘Long COVID’ - can include fatigue, muscle damage, impaired physical fitness, depression, memory loss, and other symptoms. Much remains unknown about exactly how Long COVID affects people.
The first step to developing effective treatment and rehabilitation programs for people with Long COVID, is to understand its physical and psychological effects.
Expected outcomes
By understanding exactly how Long COVID affects lung volume, breathing, fitness, cognitive function, quality of life and psychology, Dr Boots and his team aim to help millions of people around Australia and the world to recover and get back to normal.
Meet the researcher
Professor Robert Boots
Lead researcher
Professor Robert Boots
- Senior Thoracic and Sleep Physician in the Department of Thoracic Medicine, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH)
- Visiting Intensive Care Physician to Bundaberg Base Hospital
- Associate Professor of Medicine and a member of the Burns, Trauma and Critical Care Research Centre of the University of Queensland
- Professor of Medicine of the School of Medicine and Dentistry of Griffith University
- Senior member of the National Examination Panel of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP).
Professor Boots is involved with many projects as a main investigator and supervises postgraduate research students. He has been a principal site investigator in several national and international critical care trials and has received grant support from NHMRC, Queensland Health, the RBWH Foundation, and the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Foundation.
Robert is on the editorial board of several international journals and has published over 150 papers with experience in supervision of research higher degree students. He has a strong background in clinical epidemiology and research, previously researching the management of burns and prevention of ventilator associated pneumonia.
Robert has received training in clinical education from the Harvard Macy Program for Physician Educators in Boston USA and the Bulstrode and Hunt program of the Royal College of Surgeons (Edin).
He was a key stakeholder in the development of the business case for the Queensland Health Clinical Skills Development Centre which opened in 2004, continuing as lead faculty active in centre design and program implementation in addition to being on the international steering committee of the Basic Assessment and Skills in Intensive Care course.
Robert championed a web-based training program for Medical Emergency Response training and an orientation and teaching program for intensive care units in Queensland.
