Improving the prevention and management of stroke

Associate Professor Seana Gall, University of Tasmania

2018 Future Leader Fellowship

Years funded: 2019-2022

The research proposal includes two themes of (1) improving stroke prevention and (2) improving stroke management. I will be based at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research at the University of Tasmania; an institute recognised for its expertise in population-based and clinical epidemiology, and work with a large network of collaborators in epidemiology, clinical medicine and health services research. The research proposal leverages my recent funding success as lead and co-investigator on major NMHRC grants related to the primary prevention and management of stroke with the ultimate vision of reducing the global burden of stroke.

Under the theme of IMPROVING STROKE PREVENTION, data from two large, international collaborative studies (the Childhood Determinants of Adult Health [CDAH] study and the International Childhood Cardiovascular Cohort [i3C] Consortium will be used. The focus will be on understanding recently identified changes in the incidence of stroke in younger people and women, as well as the divergence in cardiovascular health between men and women across the life course. Together, these studies will inform better interventions to prevent stroke.

Under the theme of IMPROVING STROKE MANAGEMENT there will be two studies. One focuses on aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH), a rare and understudied form of stroke. In an NHMRC-funded project I will explore the factors that contribute to delays in treatment for aSAH, determine the optimal treatment window and develop interventions to reduce delays for people with aSAH. The second study is a pilot project using co-design with health professionals and stroke survivors to adapt a cardiac rehabilitation program for stroke survivors to improve risk factor management and outcomes. It seeks to translate my body of observational research regarding life after stroke into improvements in outcomes for people that suffer stroke.