Mariana Hoffman is a research fellow at Monash University she was the recent recipient of a CREATE Travel Grant and travelled to the United States to present her work.
Please tell us about your recent trip, where you went and what you gained from the experience:
I was honoured to be awarded a recent CREATE travel grant, which supported my attendance at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in May 2025 (ATS 2025).
The conference was a valuable opportunity for me to present 2 accepted abstracts, engage in interesting discussions and receive constructive feedback from researchers from around the world. The experience was both professionally enriching and personally inspiring, strengthening my connections within the international research community.
In addition to presenting my research, the conference offered me a unique opportunity to meet in person with other fellow members of the ATS Pulmonary Rehabilitation Web Committee who I haven’t met since I joined the committee. We engaged in productive conversations about our strategic plans and main goals for the year ahead.
Attending ATS 2025 was a fantastic chance to share my work and strengthen my professional network. It also enhanced my knowledge about pulmonary rehabilitation and pulmonary fibrosis research.
Tell us a bit about yourself and how you became interested in pulmonary fibrosis research.
I’m a physiotherapist by background, and I’ve been passionate about respiratory physiotherapy since my university days. After finishing my master’s degree, I started working privately as a respiratory physiotherapist, which was when I first became involved in providing pulmonary rehabilitation for people with pulmonary fibrosis. That experience really opened my eyes to how important rehabilitation is for these patients and how much it can improve their quality of life. It sparked a deeper interest in the area and eventually led me to pursue a PhD and then a postdoc, both focused on therapies and rehabilitation for people with interstitial lung disease.
How would you explain your pulmonary fibrosis research to someone unfamiliar with the field?
I usually explain pulmonary fibrosis as a condition that causes damage to the lungs, leading to scarring. This scarring makes it harder for the lungs to work properly, so people often struggle with breathing and find it difficult to exercise or stay active. It’s a condition with no cure, and the symptoms can get worse over time as the scarring increases. Sometimes we can identify a cause, but in many cases, we don’t know what’s causing the damage to the lungs.
Why is your work important?
Pulmonary fibrosis has a huge impact on people’s lives. It is important to develop and expand ways to help people manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life. My research focuses on improving clinical outcomes for people with pulmonary fibrosis and understanding how supportive care and rehabilitation can help them live better and more independently.
What are the best bits about working in this area?
The best thing about working with research is knowing that by improving the treatment and therapies for people with pulmonary fibrosis with our studies, we are making a real difference in people’s lives. When I’m in contact with participants providing research intervention I get to see if patients can improve their ability to exercise more to breathe better or even to perform their daily activities with less difficulty. Sometimes I get to understand better their struggles and think about future studies that can address their needs. The combination of research and patient interaction is one of my favourite parts of my work that makes everything more meaningful and interesting. Being part of a supportive community of researchers who are dedicated to improving outcomes for people with chronic lung conditions such as the CREATE fellows and members makes the work feel collaborative and inspiring.
What are some of your biggest achievements to date?
I began my postdoctoral research in Australia after completing my PhD in Brazil 6 years ago. One of my biggest achievements has been working as a clinical trial manager for a large international, multi-centre randomised controlled trial, which was recently finished. This trial investigated the role of ambulatory oxygen therapy for people with fibrotic interstitial lung disease, and it was a unique and highly relevant study in the field. Contributing to the successful delivery of such an important project has been a major milestone in my career as well as an incredible opportunity to grow my leadership skills and network. Receiving the last CREATE grant in aid was also a remarkable achievement as I got to work together with another 2 CREATE early career research fellows to develop a project that has just started! It is exciting to see our ideas being put into practice.
What would you like to work on in the future, if funding were not an issue?
I would love to work on developing personalised treatment strategies for people with pulmonary fibrosis, using emerging technologies and artificial intelligence. My journey has shown me that every patient experiences the disease differently, and I believe we can do more to tailor treatment and care to individual needs whether if it’s through customised rehabilitation programs, predictive tools to guide treatment decisions, or digital health solutions that support patients at home. There’s potential to combine clinical outcomes and treatments with technology to transform how we care for people with pulmonary fibrosis.
What advice would you offer ECRs just starting out in the field?
My advice is to stay open to learning and never be afraid to ask questions! Find good mentors and collaborators not only to inspire you but also to guide you through the journey. Be strategic when you are choosing your projects as they will shape your research interests and your story. Don’t forget to celebrate small wins along the way and keep the patient’s needs at the centre of what you do!
Where do you hope to see yourself in your career in the next 5 years? Are there any shifts you would like to see in in field during that time?
In the next five years, I hope to be leading my own innovative research projects focusing on patient-centred treatments in a larger scale and hopefully with more collaborators around Australia and worldwide. Â Â
I’d love to continue building strong national and international collaborations. I would love to see a stronger focus on personalised care for people with pulmonary fibrosis including tailored treatments and integration of technology and digital tools to support patients in their daily life.Â