Dear Colleagues and Community Members,
It was wonderful to catch up with many of you during the Hypertension Australia meeting in Sydney in November. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I always leave our ASM with a sense of excitement about the quality of work, the talent of our young and upcoming colleagues, and the huge opportunities we have to really make a difference in the field, both on a scientific and community level. I would like to thank you all for your invaluable contributions to this and very much look forward to working closely with you on all the important projects, guidelines, webinars, community education projects and other activities planned for 2025.
Now however is the time to take a step back, reflect, breathe, spend more time with family and friends, and live the Christmas spirit….
On behalf of the Hypertension Australia Board, I wish you all a wonderful festive season, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.
With my very best wishes
Markus Schlaich
President, Hypertension Australia
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We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2024 Hypertension Australia Awards. Their exceptional contributions to the field of hypertension have truly made an impact, and we are proud to celebrate their achievements. A heartfelt congratulations to all the awardees!
This year’s Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) was a resounding success, with a wealth of outstanding presentations and discussions. It was fantastic to see so many experts, researchers, and clinicians come together to share their knowledge and advancements in hypertension research and treatment. The event highlighted the strength of our community and the collective effort toward improving hypertension care in Australia.
To view the award winners from the ASM, click here.
Thank you to everyone who participated, and we look forward to continuing the conversation and collaboration in the years to come!
The annual community education event “Pressure Wise” was held virtually on Saturday 30 November 2024, with community members from around Australia tuning in to learn about high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and ways to manage risk. Attendees listened to talks from Dr Niamh Chapman, Professor Markus Schlaich, Professor Alta Schutte, Natalie Raffoul (National Heart Foundation) and Brian Beh (lived-experience representative), before joining an interactive Q&A session led by Eleanor Clapham. Notable highlights of the event were the impactful stories on life after stroke shared by lived-experience representative Brian Beh and the great enthusiasm and flurry of questions from audience members during the Q&A session!
As always, Pressure Wise was a great opportunity to keep Hypertension Australia connected with the general public and to share valuable information with the community. The event was received very well by all in attendance. Thank you to everyone who was involved in the organization of this successful event!
The National Hypertension Taskforce held its first summit in Sydney on 26 November 2024, bringing together health professionals, researchers, and advocates. The event brought together a diverse group of health professionals, researchers, and industry experts to address the Taskforce’s ambitious but vital goal of achieving 70% blood pressure control by 2030.
After officially launching the National Hypertension Taskforce in 2022, the Honourable Mark Butler, Minister for Health & Aged Care, provided a warm opening address.
Chaired by the Taskforce’s Co-Chairs, Prof. Alta Schutte and Prof. Markus Schlaich, the Summit featured compelling presentations from multiple stakeholder perspectives. Keynote speakers provided invaluable insights. Prof. Mike Rakotz, Group Vice President of Health Outcomes at American Medical Association shared international blood pressure control strategies, Dr. Michael Wright, President of RACGP presented current priorities and challenges within the Australian primary care sector, and Prof. Charlotte Hespe AM (RACGP and one of the Taskforce’s Working Group 1 Co-Leads) offered insights into targeted approaches for effective hypertension management in primary care settings.
The Taskforce’s five Working Groups shared their ongoing initiatives, highlighting collaborative efforts to improve hypertension in each of their respective priority areas for action called out in the Taskforce’s Roadmap. The day was further enriched by invited speakers who presented cutting-edge project updates and innovative research aligned with the Taskforce’s ambitious goals.
A standout moment was the panel discussion with consumer advocates Audrey Lee, Belinda Bennett and John Stevens, who brought critical patient-centered perspectives to the forefront of the conversation.
The event symbolised the strength in united partnership and the commitment of the National Hypertension Taskforce to transforming blood pressure control and ultimately improving the health of our nation.
Stay tuned on the National Hypertension Taskforce’s website for the recordings of each session.
The symposium was held as a hybrid, joint symposium with Hypertension Australia Annual Scientific Meeting on 26 November 2024. It was attended by 37 participants, both in person and virtual, from 6 countries including Australia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and USA. The two morning sessions were invited speakers, which cover the topic of “Clinical perspectives of artificial intelligence in cardiovascular haemodynamics applications”, and “Current challenges of emerging technologies and wearables in cardiovascular haemodynamics research”. The afternoon sessions were dedicated to 11 oral and 7 poster presentations, in which 3 were selected by two independent judges to be the best oral presentations. As attendees, we learnt about the applicability of artificial intelligence in clinical settings from different countries, and the successful outcomes and challenges faced by clinicians and researchers in applying artificial intelligence. We heard outcomes from recent clinical studies from early and mid career researchers. The highlight of the symposium was the Michael O’Rourke lecture, entitled “Bridging Old and New for Pulse Research”, presented by Professor Junichiro Hashimoto from Japan. Prof Hashimoto presented his experience working with the late Prof O’Rourke, and how this learning has shaped how hemodynamic research is performed at present. The late Professor Michael O’Rourke was a leader in cardiovascular hemodynamic research and highly regarded by many of his collaborators, young and old worldwide. Prof O’Rourke was also an active member of Hypertension Australia (previously High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia). The symposium was kindly sponsored by CardieX and Uscom.
The symposium was followed by a joint session of Pulse of Asia and Hypertension Australia on 27th November, entitled “Arteries and blood pressure: the role of large arteries and microvasculature in hypertension”. Speakers for the session included Profs Alberto Avolio and Junichiro Hashimoto from Pulse of Asia, and Drs Jonathan Mynard and Audrey Adji from Hypertension Australia, presenting the applicability of hemodynamic research in the macro- and microvascular crosstalk.
