Closing the gap in women’s heart health: Heart Foundation - Hynds Senior Research Fellowship, Dr Nikki Earle

Published: 17 April 2026

Alongside well-known heart disease risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and smoking, women have some sex-specific risk factors for heart disease.

Left to right, Leanne Gibson, Jaimi Fraser, Mami Hynds, Léonie Hynds, Dr Nikki Earle, Robyn Hynds, Chloe Milloy

These include early menopause, gestational diabetes or high blood pressure during pregnancy, and preterm delivery.

Dr Nikki Earle, the latest recipient of the Heart Foundation - Hynds Senior Research Fellowship, says many of these factors aren’t widely understood. “Currently, the cardiovascular risk assessment models used by GPs don’t take any of these factors into account.”  

Dr Earle’s work, which is being generously funded by the Hynds Foundation over the next three years, aims to address this inequity by developing recommendations to incorporate female-specific risk factors into clinical guidelines.

It isn’t just risk factors that differ; women can also experience different heart symptoms than men. In heart attacks, women are less likely to present with crushing chest pain than men, and more likely to show up with anxiety, shortness of breath, upset stomach, pain in the shoulder, back or arm, or unusual tiredness and weakness.

Dr Earle says it’s been surprising to see how big the research gap is for women when it comes to heart disease. On average, New Zealand women have their first heart attack seven years later than men. But after menopause, their risk is heightened because of the loss of the heart-protective effect of oestrogen.

“When you compare the outcomes after heart attacks for men and women up to age 75, women are actually worse off. And the inequity is even greater for Māori and Pasifika women,” she says. 

“More women die or are re-admitted to hospital for cardiovascular causes than men, and the difference is greatest amongst younger women, aged under 55, compared with younger men. Our research is trying to understand why this is.”

Alongside her focus on women’s health, Nikki will also investigate undiagnosed familial hypercholesterolaemia, a genetic condition that causes very high cholesterol and significantly increases the risk of premature heart disease. 

By analysing data from more than 4,400 heart attack patients, she aims to estimate how many have this condition without knowing it. 

Her research will also investigate better ways to systematically screen New Zealanders with heart disease for this condition, including genetic testing for family members. 

Early identification would allow preventative treatment, such as cholesterol-lowering medication, to begin sooner and substantially reduce the risk of future heart events.

Thank you to the Hynds Foundation for generously supporting inspiring researchers, like Dr Earle, and helping make their vital work possible. The Heart Foundation is incredibly grateful for their ongoing contribution in the fight against heart disease.