Rate My Professor Dhaval Thakkar

Dr. Dhaval Thakkar is an Adjunct Clinical Senior Lecturer in the Curtin Medical School, part of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Curtin University in Perth, Australia. He concurrently serves as Senior Lecturer and Clinical Co-Lead for the Global MD program in the UWA Medical School at the University of Western Australia. In his clinical role as a respiratory specialist and interventional pulmonologist at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital's Department of Respiratory Medicine, and as a researcher at the Institute for Respiratory Health, Thakkar employs minimally invasive techniques in interventional bronchoscopy and pleural disease management to diagnose and treat chest diseases. His clinical focus includes lung cancer, for which he co-chairs the weekly multidisciplinary meeting, as well as complex benign airways and pleural diseases. Thakkar completed his medical training in the United States, earning his Doctor of Medicine from the American University of the Caribbean, and holds board certifications in internal medicine, pulmonary and critical care medicine, and interventional pulmonology.

Thakkar's research interests center on airway smooth muscle remodelling in asthma and emphysema, utilizing polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography to map in vivo changes and identify treatable traits in airway diseases. Key publications include 'Bronchoscopic polarisation-sensitive optical coherence tomography reveals airway smooth muscle remodelling phenotypes in patients with asthma' (2025), 'Mapping airway smooth muscle remodelling in vivo using polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography' (2025), and 'Oscillometry changes reflect clinically meaningful improvement after bronchial thermoplasty for uncontrolled asthma: A case report' (2024). In 2025, he received a Discovery Grant from the Charlies Foundation for Research, awarded jointly with Professor Gary Lee. Committed to education, Thakkar provides mentorship and fellowship training to medical trainees. He engages in public outreach, including a February 2026 appearance on 6PR Perth radio to discuss lung cancer research milestones such as the TRACKER precision medicine program and robotic bronchoscopy technology. His work highlights the integration of biotechnology to enhance healthcare delivery and patient understanding of complex conditions.