Five Edith Cowan University (ECU) cardiovascular and cardiometabolic researchers have been recognised for their outstanding research and research contributions at the Western Australia Cardiovascular Research Alliance (WACRA) Awards.
ECU researchers shone at the awards evening, winning six of the nine award categories presented by the Western Australian Cardiovascular Research Alliance.
Established in 2019, WACRA unites leading heart, stroke and vascular disease researchers from universities and institutes in Western Australia working across the pipeline from fundamental pre-clinical research, epidemiology and public health through to clinical trials.
The special Awards Night was opened by Ms Christine Tonkin MLA on behalf of Hon Stephen Dawson MLC, with speeches from David Lloyd, CEO from the Heart Foundation and Professor Livia Hool, WACRA Director – Chair.
Award Night attendees also heard from Aaron Lee, a heart transplant recipient. Aaron shared his powerful story, shining light on the life changing impact of heart disease on his family and the importance of cardiovascular research.
WACRA Award winners
Publication Award
The WACRA Publication Award recognises outstanding research publications related to heart, stroke and/or vascular research.
It was awarded to Dr Simone Radavelli-Bagatini for her publication titled ‘Impact of Provision of Abdominal Aortic Calcification Results on Fruit and Vegetable Intake: A 12-Week Randomized Phase 2 Controlled Trial’, which was published in Nature Communications.
Dr Simone Radavelli-Bagatini is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in ECU’s Nutrition & Health Innovation Research Institute (NHIRI), exploring strategies to improve cardiovascular risk-reducing behaviours.
Research Impact Award and Researcher of the Year Award
Associate Professor Catherine Bondonno was awarded the Research Impact Award and the prestigious Researcher of the Year Award.
The Research Impact Award recognises the reach and significance of A/Prof Bondonno’s research and the Researcher of the Year Award is based on a combination of Research Impact, Research Leadership and the top five publications in the past ten years.
Dr Catherine Bondonno is an Associate Professor in ECU’s Nutrition & Health Innovation Research Institute (NHIRI). Her research program is focused on identifying dietary strategies to achieve and maintain cardiovascular and cognitive health.
EMCR National Summit Travel Award
This Award supported attendance to the 2024 National EMCR Summit, hosted by the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance, the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand and the Heart Foundation on Monday, 25 November 2024 at the Charles Perkins Institute in Sydney. It was awarded to Dr Nilufeur McKay.
Dr Nilufeur McKay is a Senior Lecturer and Course Coordinator for the Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) course at ECU’s School of Nursing and Midwifery. As a Nurse Practitioner, Dr McKay maintains an active clinical practice in the specialty of cardiology. Her research focuses on the care of patients with acute and chronic heart failure and methods to improve patient and clinician communication to assist with smoother transitions from hospital to home.
Elevate Award
The Elevate Award is designed to provide support to WA cardiovascular researchers who were unsuccessful in their NHMRC Investigator Grant 2024 application but received a high score. Awardees are given the opportunity to seek a grant review of their choice to boost their chances of being successful for the next round. It was awarded to Professor Jonathan Hodgson.
Jonathan Hodgson is the Director ECU’s Nutrition & Health Innovation Research Institute and Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology for the School of Medical and Health Sciences. He conducts research to better understand the impact of diet on vascular health.
Travel Award
The Travel Award provides financial support for a cardiovascular researcher to present their heart, stroke or vascular disease research findings to an international audience and was awarded to Dr Caroline Hill.
Dr Caroline Hill is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in ECU’s Nutrition & Health Innovation Research Institute exploring organosulfur compounds in vegetables and their impacts on cardio metabolic health.
Dr Hill will use this award to disseminate her findings on the beneficial associations of cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli) and blood vessel disease at the European Atherosclerosis Society Congress in Glasgow, UK in 2025.
Find out more about ECU’s Nutrition & Health Innovation Research Institute and the 2024 WACRA Awards.
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