Tobias Welte Award Winner

Associate Professor Lucy Burr is a respiratory physician and researcher whose work is focused on improving everyday care for people living with bronchiectasis and chronic lung disease. Her career has grown from treating patients at the bedside to building research that directly changes how those patients are managed.

Early in her career, Lucy focused on understanding airway infection and why some treatments worked better than others. Her research helped explain how long-term macrolide therapy influences bacteria, inflammation, and resistance. This work has contributed to safer, more effective use of these treatments in clinical practice.

Over time, her focus has expanded from understanding disease to improving access to new treatments. She now leads a large clinical trials program that connects patients with emerging therapies, often years before they are widely available. Her work brings together clinical care, research, and data from registries to ensure that studies address real patient needs.

Lucy also plays key leadership roles nationally and internationally. As Chair of the Australasian Bronchiectasis Consortium, she helps coordinate research and clinical efforts across Australia, strengthening collaboration and ensuring patients benefit from advances in care.

What defines her work is its practical impact. Whether through clinical trials, registry data, or guideline development, her focus remains on improving outcomes and quality of life for patients. Just as importantly, she has invested in building the teams and systems needed to sustain this work into the future, with a strong commitment to making research accessible to more people.