Monthly Updates - March 2023
Welcome 

Dear SOLVE Network Family, 

Welcome to the March edition of the SOLVE-CHD monthly updates 2023. This monthly e-newsletter will keep you up to date with the key progress of the SOLVE-CHD projects and provide updates on our events and initiatives. Simply email solve-chd.info@sydney.edu.au if you wish to share/add anything from your area that is directly/indirectly related to the SOLVE-CHD program. We would also strongly encourage you to share your research highlights and successes that is relevant to cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention with us so that we can celebrate your achievements with our network. 

Key Updates and Research Highlights


  • We invite all to vote for our Cadiac Rehabilitation Video Competition People's Choice Award. Click here to view the entries and click here to vote by 30th April 2023

  • SOLVE-CHD ACRA ASM Scholarship appplications are now open. The Scholarships are valued at $300 (Student) and $600 (ACRA Member) for the 2023 ACRA ASM  registration fee. Apply here before 5pm 15th May 2023

  • We invite all cardiac rehabilitation practitioners in Australia to participate a short survey to collect information about your attitudes and practices around psychosocial wellbeing, healthy eating and the risk associated with heat waves. To take the survey, click here

Massive congratulations to SOLVE-CHD Chief Investigator Prof Julie Redfern for winning 2022 Australia Cardiovascular Alliance (ACva) Mentor Award and SOLVE-CHD member Prof Robyn Clark & Team for being a 2022 ACvA Translation Award finalist!

More special congratulations goes out to the following SOLVE-CHD members:


  • Prof Thomas Astell-Burt & team was awarded a $1,491,294.51 MRFF Effective Treatments and Therapies grant for their project, titled 'PANDA Trial: Physical Activity in Nature for Cardiometabolic Diseases in People Aged 45y+'

  • Dr Susie Cartledge & team was awarded a $598,381.00 MRFF Preventive and Public Health Research Initiative grant for their project, titled 'HeartPath+: Targeting self-efficacy and health literacy through patient education to prevent recurrent heart events in Australians with heart disease'

  • Prof Julie Redfern & team was awarded a $299,118.943 MRFF Clinician Researher Initiative grant for their project, titled 'Adoption, impact and sustainability of evidence-based practice into health care: Co-design and evaluation of projects, systems and processes'

  • Dr Matt Hollings, Dr Karice Hyun, Dr Clara Zwack & team was awarded a $10,000.00 NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence for Coronary Artery Disease Catalyst Awards for Seed Funding for their project, titled 'Optimising cardiac rehabilitation outcomes for individuals without standard modifiable risk factors'

  • Prof Clara Chow, Prof Gemma Figtree, Prof Robyn Gallagher, Prof Jeroen Hendriks & Prof Julie Redfern for being the new Patrons for Heart Support Australia for the next two years

  • Dr Matt Hollings & team for their new publication in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, titled 'National survey of Australian cardiac rehabilitation programmes: does current exercise programming adhere to evidence-based guidelines and best practice?' 

  • Prof Adrian Bauman & team for their new publication in BMC Public Health, titled 'Impact of the first year of the 'This Girl Can" physical activity and sport mass media campaign in Australia' 

  • Dr Ling Zhang, Sherrie Chung, Wendan Shi, Dr Dion Candelaria & Prof Robyn Gallagher for their publication in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, titled 'Onlline Health Information-Seeking Behaviours and eHealth Literacy among First-Generation Chinese Immigrants'

    If you have any research achievements that you'd like to highlight in the SOLVE-CHD newsletter, email us at solve-chd.info@sydney.edu.au
SOLVE-CHD Project Spotlight 
At the heart of the matter: Co-designing a lifestyle based mental health intervention for patients following a heart event

Led by Dr Sarah Gauci, SOLVE-CHD Postdoctoral Researcher, Deakin University 

For people with heart disease, poor mental health is related to worse health outcomes, including increased risk of future cardiac events, readmission to hospital, increased mortality, and lower quality of life. These patients also face increased barriers to care and feel that their mental health needs are often unmet within the current health care system. 
Encouragingly, we know that the same lifestyle therapies delivered as part of cardiac rehabilitation, such as exercise and nutrition counselling, are now also considered foundational treatments for depression. This significant overlap should be utilised for cardiovascular patients and is often under-recognised by clinicians and patients alike.  
This project aims to address this by exploring patient needs  through group modelling techniques and using the experienced-based co-design framework to co-design a lifestyle intervention tailored towards patients’ mental health needs following a heart event. The data generated in this study will be used to seek category one funding to develop this intervention and assess its feasibility. The team hope to start recruiting consumers and clinical stakeholders to take part in workshops later this year. 
Dr Gauci was able to secure funding for this project through Deakin University’s Faculty of Health Research Capacity Building Grant Scheme (HAtCH) and Deakin University’s IMPACT seed funding Scheme. 
 
Follow Dr Sarah Gauci on Twitter 

Other Events and Opportunities 
Find out more
ACNAP Congress 2023 23rd- 24th June - REGISTER NOW
Find out more
ICCPR Webinar 7:30am-8:30am EST 26th April 2023 
Register Now
ACRA ASM 2023
31st July - 2nd August 2023 Perth
Register Now
The 71st Annual Scientific Meeting of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand and 47th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society for Heart Research (Australasian Section), will be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre from 3-6 August 2023
Find out more

Applications to Wolrd Heart Federation Emerging Leader Programme 2023 have now closed. The program is scheduled to take place in Sydney, Australia in October of this year, and we at SOLVE-CHD are honored to be partnering with them. Stay tuned for an exciting agenda that will be announced in the near future. Keep an eye on this space for updates! #WHFEL

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