Member Spotlight: Alta Schutte
Professor Alta Schutte is a distinguished researcher and leader in the field of hypertension, dedicated to improving blood pressure control globally. A Hypertension Australia member since 2009, Prof. Schutte brings a unique blend of physiological expertise and public health perspective to her work. As the SHARP Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at UNSW Sydney and affiliated with The George Institute for Global Health, she continues to push the boundaries of hypertension research and treatment strategies. Her work spans from basic physiological research to large-scale implementation science, always with the goal of benefiting as many people as possible.
What inspired your interest in Hypertension?
As an originally trained physiologist, I became increasingly interested in epidemiology and public health – continually searching for an area where my life’s work can potentially benefit as many people as possible. My PhD thesis already focused on blood pressure and diet in children and adults from South Africa, and the interest continued to expand globally over the years.
Blood pressure is such a fascinating physiological (and physics) area – “pressure”. I have always found it remarkable how the pressure in one’s vessels can be the leading driver or cause of death. There are so many multifactorial drivers – from environmental exposures such as diet and how we move our bodies, impacting our hormones, vessel elasticity, nerve activation – all ultimately affecting the pressure in our vessels. It’s truly fascinating.
Tell us about your research or initiatives focused on preventing, detecting, and managing high blood pressure and its complications.
My main research focus is on improving blood pressure control in Australia and globally. Although this interest is mainly driven by implementation science, it is also strongly influenced by health and economic behaviours such as medication adherence, treatment inertia, guidelines and how they are (or aren’t!) implemented, treatment options (medicines, injections, salt substitutes), and team-based care.
Other areas of interest include increasing awareness and detection of blood pressure, blood pressure variability – and how to measure both the pressure and variability, the risk associated with it, and how we can capture the risk to improve detection and better treatment.
Have you received any awards, grants, or publications for your work related to Hypertension?
GRANTS
- NHMRC Investigator Grant
- NHMRC Synergy Grant
- NSW Health Cardiovascular Collaborative Grant
- MRFF Primary Care grant
AWARDS
- 2022 Harriet Dustan Award, American Heart Association
- 2022 Paul Dudley White International Scholar Award, American Heart Association
- 2023 Peter Sleight Excellence Award in Hypertension Clinical Research, World Hypertension League
- 2023 Listed as Leading Researcher in the field of Vascular Medicine in Australia, by The Australian
- 2024 NHMRC Fiona Stanley Award for the highest rated Synergy Grant in 2023
- 2024 Outstanding Woman in Research Award for Senior Researchers, International Society of Hypertension
RECENT PUBLICATIONS:
- Schutte et al. National Hypertension Taskforce of Australia: A Roadmap to achieve 70% blood pressure control in Australia by 2030. Med J Aus 2024; 221(3):126-134.
- Triple pill combination for hypertension papers presented at ESC 2024 and published in the Lancet, JACC and JAMA in August/September 2024.
- Xu X, Zeng L, Jha V, et al. Potassium-enriched salt substitutes: a review of recommendations in clinical management guidelines. Hypertension 2024; 81:400-414.
- Schutte AE. Wearable cuffless blood pressure tracking: when will they be good enough? J Hum Hypertens 2024.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I am a MAJOR Springboks rugby supporter (as can be seen here). I go to church, love to read when I have the time, and enjoy hiking along the beautiful northern beaches in Sydney.
Do you have any travel adventures or bucket list destinations you're hoping to experience?
Visiting Vietnam with the family soon. I’m looking forward to sharing some travels with loved ones.
What's the last great book you read, movie you saw, or show you watched?
The movie “Riceboy Sleeps” – many things resonated with me.