Recipients of the 45 and Up Cardiovascular Research Grant announced

Five new research projects into cardiovascular health using 45 and Up Study data will begin this year, thanks to the 45 and Up Cardiovascular Research Grant.

The grant program, which launched in 2020, funds early to mid-career researchers and is a partnership between the Sax Institute and the Heart Foundation. Up to five projects are funded each round.

“We’re thrilled that five impressive research projects have been funded,” says Dr Anna Calkin, Strategic Research Lead at the Heart Foundation. “They all have the potential to generate high-impact findings with significant clinical and public health benefits.”

The five grant recipients are:

  • Dr Hannah Stevens from the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, who is investigating the differences in treatment and health outcomes for people with atrial fibrillation who live in a rural area.  
  • Dr Md Shajedur Rahman Shawon from the University of New South Wales, who is studying the use of chronic disease management plans in primary care settings for adults with cardiovascular disease.
  • Dr Feby Savira from Deakin University, who is investigating how vulnerable groups in Australia at risk of cardiovascular disease use telehealth services.
  • Dr Amalie Dyda from the University of Queensland, who will use artificial intelligence to determine the predictors of success in primary care chronic disease management plans.
  • Dr Kristen Glenister from the University of Melbourne, who will be investigating how common heart attack, stroke, atrial fibrillation and heart failure are in rural and metropolitan New South Wales, as well as looking at differences in access to care, health costs and health outcomes.

All grant recipients are early to mid-career researchers and have been given access to the 45 and Up Study, as well as mortality data and linked data from the Medicare Benefits Schedule and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, valued at up to $65,000.

This is a great opportunity for researchers to gain experience leading a research project with big data, says Dr Greer Dawson, Deputy Director Research and Partnerships at the 45 and Up Study.

“Researchers can access more than 15 years of survey data plus data linkages to enable time series analyses, identification of risk factors and much more.”

The Heart Foundation is a major partner of the 45 and Up Study. For updates on future grant opportunities with the 45 and Up Study, sign up to the Sax Institute’s monthly newsletter, Evidence Matters.