NDARC researcher, Dr Ryan Courtney, is amoung eight academics at UNSW Sydney to recieve $1.8 million in competitive research funding from the Heart Foundation.
The funding was awarded for research into investigate the causes, treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease and related disorders.
Dr Courtney received a Future Leader Fellowship from the Heart Foundation and is "delighted to receive this fellowship and look forward to implementing new and effective treatments for tobacco smoking and vaping cessation to improve cardiovascular health”.
Tobacco smoking is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease. Reducing smoking among low-socioeconomic status (low-SES) groups is a national health priority.
Dr Courtney will use the funding to provide much needed evidence on how to best support smokers to use vaporised nicotine products (VNPs or e-cigarettes) when trying to quit smoking, but also how to support a transition away from VNP use following smoking cessation.
The findings of this Fellowship will assist Australian and international decision makers to make evidence-based decisions on treatments for low-SES smokers and will assist to guide new treatment service co-ordination and delivery.
At the time, UNSW Dean of Medicine & Health Professor Vlado Perkovic congratulated his UNSW colleagues on their success.
“Cardiovascular heart disease remains Australia’s single biggest killer, despite many improvements in the prevention and treatment of the disease. The UNSW projects that have received funding have great potential to make a significant impact on heart health in Australia, and I look forward to seeing their outcomes,” Prof. Perkovic said.