15 Oct My Research
Nicole is currently undertaking a PhD at RMIT to investigate the impact of health hazards in the built environment and their impact on human health.
Goal 1: What impact do environmental chemicals (toxicants) have on human health? Why do clinicians need to act?
The paper highlighted that everyone is exposed to toxicants at levels known to cause adverse health effects and that most of the chronic illnesses clinicians see everyday in clinical practice, can be correlated to toxicants in the home. It highlighted the inadequacies of chemical regulation and who is uniquely vulnerable to exposure, and outlined the knowledge and the skills clinicians need in order to assess toxicant exposures. Nicole was subsequently invited to present her findings at medical conferences in Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand. The paper can be found HERE.
Goal 2: How do doctors who are experts in the field of environmental medicine, assess toxicants in their patients?
The next stage of her research involved interviewing the top expert clinicians in environmental medicine in Australia and New Zealand. The outcome of her findings revealed the difficulties clinicians faced practicing environmental medicine, the lack of resources available and the importance of an exposure history tool to assess toxicant load. Nicole was subsequently invited to present her findings at a conference in the USA. The paper can be found HERE.
Goal 3: Does sleeping with a router in your bedroom affect sleep quality and cognitive function?
Nicole is undertaking a randomised double blind crossover pilot study to investigate the clinical significance of being exposed to a wireless device (router) on sleep quality and cognitive function in healthy adults.