Camilla Hoyos, PhD
Dr Hoyos has worked in clinical research for 15 years. Prior to becoming a research academic, she managed respiratory clinical trials at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research. Through this work, she became interested in research methodology and design and went on to undertake a Master’s in Public Health before embarking on a PhD which she completed in 2012 at the University of Sydney and Woolcock Institute, under the supervision of Prof Peter Liu and Prof Ronald Grunstein. Dr Hoyos’s research focusses on how sleep disorders (in particular Obstructive Sleep Apnea), and their treatment impacts on human health. Her work to date has shed light on the complex association between sleep apnea and cardio-metabolic function. Her primary PhD study was a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) that compared the effect of placebo CPAP to therapeutic CPAP on visceral abdominal fat and insulin sensitivity in non-diabetic men with sleep apnea. The trial established that neither outcome improved with CPAP. She also ran an RCT investigating the effect of testosterone supplementation in men on the severity of sleep apnea. This work has informed clinical practice on the use of testosterone supplementation in sleep apnea. Her more recent work included investigating CPAPs effect on weight, and the effect of CPAP and a PDE-5 inhibitor on sexual function in men with sleep apnea and erectile dysfunction.
She currently holds a prestigious National Medical and Health Research Council (NHMRC) and Australian Research Council (ARC) Early Career Fellowship and works as a research fellow in the School of Psychology at the University of Sydney and a research associate in the Centre for Sleep and Chronobiology at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research. Through this fellowship she is exploring the role of sleep apnea and sleep disturbances in cognitive decline and dementia - working with people living with mild cognitive impairment.
The multi-disciplinary nature of Dr Hoyos’s research is demonstrated by her publications in journals, including Thorax, Sleep, American Journal of Respiratory Critical Care Medicine, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, European Journal of Endocrinology, and International Journal of Cardiology. She is honoured and extremely grateful to receive the 2018 James B Skatrud Award and acknowledges that her achievements were made possible because of the ongoing support from her mentors, research colleagues and her family.
