Stories

A change in the way patients with chest pain are treated when they arrive at the Emergency Department at Christchurch Hospital is the work of Professor Martin Than, an emergency department doctor and a Heart Foundation research grant recipient in 2017.

Dr Libby Curtis successfully completed an overseas training and research fellowship, generously funded by the Heart Foundation Benjamin Fellowship in 2023. She has since brought her international experience and advanced skills back home to regional New Zealand.

Researching the integration of Māori and Pacific cultural values into heart health is the focus of Vaea Ulima Tofi, a Māori Samoan researcher and recipient of the Heart Foundation Māori and Pacific Research Fellowship.

A simple slice of bread might soon offer more than just a tasty staple food – it could become a key ingredient in helping to reduce high blood pressure, a condition affecting 1 in 3 New Zealanders.

Two cardiology nurse specialists have been awarded funding for advanced training as nurse practitioners, enabling them to provide a wider range of services for patients in their care.

Women have been historically under-represented in heart research studies. Two researchers from the University of Auckland have been awarded project grants for research that will advance heart health equity for women in New Zealand.

Dr Nicola Scott will be researching how inhibiting the heart enzyme PDE9 may reduce damage following a heart attack and could also lead to a potential new treatment for heart failure.

Dr Laura Joyce has received a Heart Foundation grant to pilot remote follow-up care for patients presenting at the emergency department with atrial fibrillation using a smartphone app and nurse-led calls. This study aims to reduce unnecessary hospital visits and improve care, especially for rural patients.

A researcher at the forefront of cardiac energetics globally, Dr JC Han at the University of Auckland, has been awarded a Senior Fellowship from the Heart Foundation to investigate improving heart efficiency.

A 10-year follow-up study on the heart health of Pacific people in Canterbury will generate valuable insights into how risk factors change over time and identify strategies for preventing and managing heart disease.

Cardiothoracic surgeon and researcher Mr Nishith Patel has been awarded the 2023 Foundation100 Fellowship from the Heart Foundation. During the tenure of the fellowship, Nishith plans to better understand a life-threatening condition known as aortic dissection, which is believed to be more common in New Zealand compared to other countries.

The progress made with heart disease over the past 50 years in New Zealand appears to be coming to an end, as the decline in heart disease plateaus for the first time in decades. Three researchers have been awarded funding by the Heart Foundation to investigate the impact of food…