Peter McFawn

Peter McFawn is an Associate Lecturer in the School of Human Sciences at the University of Western Australia. A UWA graduate, he obtained both his BSc and PhD from the university. Following his doctoral studies, McFawn held a four-year research fellowship at Queen's University in Canada before returning to UWA to take up his current position, where he collaborates closely with his former PhD supervisor, Professor Howard Mitchell. He coordinates units including PHYL3340 Advanced Cellular Physiology and PHYL3350 Physiological Control Mechanisms, and lectures in courses such as PHYL2255 Physiology of Human Body Systems, PHYL2260 Physiology of Adaptation and Stress, and IDNT1121 Foundations of Human and Animal Biology. His teaching extends to both the Perth and Singapore campuses, as well as lab classes and the Graduate Entry Medical Programme.

A/Prof McFawn's primary research area is respiratory physiology, focusing on airways from the mouth to the lungs, particularly the smooth muscles associated with breathing. His work examines how deep breaths relax airway smooth muscle in healthy individuals and why this bronchodilation is impaired in asthma, resulting in muscle hyper-tension. Current projects utilize computer-controlled oscillation to simulate breathing effects on muscles, cellular cultures to identify stress response components, and studies of airway and muscle damage in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. Key publications include 'Airway narrowing and response to simulated deep inspiration in bronchial segments from subjects with fixed airflow obstruction' (2020, Journal of Applied Physiology), 'Hyperinflation of bronchi in vitro impairs bronchodilation to simulated breathing and increases sensitivity to contractile activation' (2018, Respirology), 'Different structural components of the airway smooth muscle layer determine post-bronchodilator and airway responsiveness in smokers' (2019, Respirology), 'Cigarette-smoking is associated with reduced airway compliance and increased volume fraction of extracellular matrix in human bronchi' (2014), and 'Does smooth muscle in an intact airway undergo length adaptation during a sustained change in transmural pressure?' (2015). His research outputs total 32 articles, along with conference papers and abstracts, contributing to an h-index of 18 and 717 citations. This work supports UN Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being.

Professional Email: peter.mcfawn@uwa.edu.au