UNSW academic honoured in annual NHMRC research awards

Professor Alta Schutte has been recognised at the 2024 NHMRC Research Excellence Awards for her work to improve hypertension treatment in Australia.

Professor Alta Schutte from UNSW Medicine & Health and The George Institute for Global Health has been honoured at the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Research Excellence Awards held in Canberra on 27 March.

Prof. Schutte received the Fiona Stanley Synergy Grant Award for having the top-ranked NHMRC Synergy Grant in 2023. Her grant application was ranked highest during the NHMRC’s expert peer review process which decides which applicants receive grants.

Inspired by experiences of heart conditions within her family, Prof. Schutte has become one of Australia’s leading researchers in heart disease.  

“I was confronted with heart disease very early on. My father only knew his father for two years, and at six I thought I was farewelling my 38-year-old father at his hospital bed. Fortunately, medicine pulled him through in the early eighties,” Prof. Schutte said.

“Embarking on a rewarding career dedicated to blood pressure research and taking on the challenge to relocate from South Africa to Australia four years ago, it is truly humbling to receive recognition from the NHMRC and my colleagues through the Fiona Stanley Synergy Grant.”

Interim Dean of UNSW Medicine & Health Professor Adrienne Torda congratulated Prof. Schutte on the award.

“Alta's dedication to understanding the complexities of high blood pressure and her commitment to finding innovative solutions is outstanding. She has made invaluable contributions to cardiovascular health globally, making her a true leader in this field.”

Australia's blood pressure challenge

Prof. Schutte said there was a range of effective and affordable medicines that could prevent heart disease and stroke by lowering high blood pressure. Despite this, raised blood pressure was the leading risk factor for preventable death in the world.

“I am extremely disappointed that in Australia, a country with one of the best health systems in the world, only 32 per cent of adults with high blood pressure are being treated appropriately.

“I have spent decades understanding the underpinnings of high blood pressure. The contributions of age, sex, socio-economic status, diet, salt, and related physiological mechanisms are certainly important. But in recent years I have shifted my focus towards health system solutions to prevent, detect and treat high blood pressure much more effectively.

“I wonder how we can encourage people from young ages to be open to screening and to act when something is wrong. It is hugely more effective to detect high blood pressure early in life and to start acting by changing lifestyle or starting medications without losing quality of life – than to be struck by a sudden unfortunate event such as a heart attack or stroke.”

Investigating cracks in the healthcare system, the cost of health care and how to get people to take ownership of their health, are issues Prof. Schutte now reviews as part of the Synergy grant. She is working closely with co-investigator Professor Anthony Rodgers at The George Institute for Global Health, and an expanded team of behavioural scientists, health economists and implementation scientists.  

“Overall, I am very fortunate to have been collaborating with hundreds of experts from different disciplines and across the world for the past decades. I hope that early- and mid-career researchers understand the importance of networking in a very open and inclusive fashion from day one. We cannot solve big problems in isolation and need various and sometimes mind-blowing perspectives to send us in novel directions.”

Prof. Schutte’s top-ranked Synergy Grant Award will see her receive $5 million over five years for a project that aims to improve hypertension (high blood pressure) treatment in Australia.

Her team will undertake several trials related to how hypertension is treated, and will closely test interventions on their cost-effectiveness, suitability for both healthcare providers and patients, and their potential to be rolled out across the country. The first trial will focus on medication dispensing durations, to determine whether lengthier dispensing durations will improve medication adherence and whether it is safe and cost-effective.   

Prof. Schutte was appointed Co-Chair of the National Hypertension Taskforce of Australia in 2022 and recognised in 2023 as the Leading Researcher in Vascular Medicine by The Australian. She received the 2022 Harriet Dustan Award from the American Heart Association and the 2023 Peter Sleight Excellence award from the World Hypertension League.