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CVMM's Collaborative Grant has led to a pilot study to investigate combined health screening for elevated blood pressure, irregular heart rhythm, hearing loss and memory function decline in adults over 65 years.

Spotlight on:
Dr Isabella Tan, Research Fellow, The George Institute for Global Health

Introduce yourself…
I have a computer/biomedical engineering background and completed my PhD in biomedical science within the cardiovascular field. Between my undergraduate and postgraduate studies, I worked in an audiological research organisation that seeded my interest and passion for research. Since completing my PhD, which focused on arterial function, I have been involved in several clinical trials focusing on blood pressure monitoring and hypertension management. My current research interest is in innovative approaches to improve screening and detection of elevated blood pressure.

Can you describe the research project funded by the CVMM Theme?
‘Listen to Your Heart and Mind’ is a pilot study investigating the acceptability and feasibility of combined health screening for elevated blood pressure, irregular heart rhythm, hearing loss, and thinking/memory function decline in adults aged 65 years and over. Despite being highly prevalent in older adults and the impact they have on length and quality of life, there is currently no systematic screening of any of these conditions. This study thus proposes a one-stop-shop approach for screening these conditions to enable timely detection and follow-up care post-screening.

What was the significance of this seed funding?
The CVMM funding enabled me to collaborate with a synergy of amazing researchers across cardiovascular, audiology, and neurology and implementation science fields.

The funding was particularly significant for me as it enabled the collection of pilot data that can be leveraged for future national grant funding applications.

In your free time, what books have you been enjoying?
For fiction, I highly recommend reading ‘The Traveling Cat Chronicles’ by Hiro Arikawa, ‘Before the Coffee Gets Cold’ series by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, and ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ by Bonnie Garmus. For non-fiction, I recently started ‘Burnout: The secret to unlocking the stress cycle’ by Emily Nagosaki and Amelia Nagosaki. Haven’t finished it yet but it seems good so far!