Dr Zappala is a Partner Physician of Queensland Respiratory Services and the the Director of Medical Services for Hervey Bay and Maryborough Hospitals. He achieved his MBBS at the University of Queensland and underwent his advanced training at the Royal Brisbane. Dr Zappala worked for two years in London at the Royal Brompton Hospital where he began his interest and research in interstitial lung disease and secondary pulmonary hypertension. His research interests include examining how change in serial pulmonary function and chest imaging describe disease behaviour and predict survival in interstitial lung disease.​​