Curtin University researchers are developing new ways to improve women’s heart health, with new projects focusing on menopause’s impact on cardiovascular health and using artificial intelligence to help detect an often-misdiagnosed cause of heart attacks.
The projects will share a combined $300,000 in 2026 Heart Foundation grants.
Associate Professor Joanne McVeigh, from the Curtin School of Allied Health, will use existing data from wearable devices worn by hundreds of Australian women in large cohort studies, including the Raine Study, to examine how physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep change as women transition through menopause.
Ischaemic heart disease is the second leading cause of death among Australian women, and cardiovascular risk rises through midlife, making the menopausal transition an important window for prevention.
Associate Professor McVeigh and her team will first identify which movement and sleep patterns are associated with the greatest cardiovascular risk.
The findings will then be used to co-design an intervention to improve heart health, developed with midlife women, exercise professionals and health practitioners and grounded in real-world movement data from Australian women.
“During the menopausal transition, changes in physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep may have implications for cardiovascular health,” Associate Professor McVeigh said.
“By looking at real-world movement and sleep data from Australian women, we hope to better understand which patterns are linked to cardiovascular risk and use that evidence to design an intervention that is practical and relevant to women going through the menopausal transition.”
Curtin Medical School‘s Associate Professor Abdul Ihdayhid will investigate whether AI can help doctors more accurately identify spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) and distinguish it from more common coronary artery disease.
SCAD occurs when the layers of a coronary artery wall separate and is responsible for up to 35 per cent of heart attacks in women under 50 and 43 per cent of pregnancy-associated heart attacks.
However, it can be difficult to identify because the most common form can resemble coronary artery disease on angiograms.
“Getting the diagnosis right is particularly important because SCAD and conventional coronary artery disease can require markedly different approaches to treatment,” Dr Ihdayhid said.
“If SCAD is mistaken for conventional coronary artery disease, patients may receive invasive treatment that is inappropriate for their condition.
“Our aim is to develop an AI tool that can assist clinicians to recognise the differences between the two so doctors can make more informed decisions about a patient’s care.”
Dr Ihdayhid said the goal was not to replace clinicians, but to provide additional support when confronted with a condition that can be challenging to recognise.
“SCAD expertise is often concentrated in specialist centres, so an effective AI-assisted tool could ultimately help provide greater diagnostic support in hospitals where clinicians encounter the condition less frequently,” Dr Ihdayhid said.
National Heart Foundation National Manager Research, Dr Anna Calkin, congratulated the recipients.
“Behind every project is the potential to deepen our understanding of heart disease and ultimately improve the lives of people affected by it,” Dr Calkin said. “Investing in research helps advance new and better ways to prevent heart disease, detect it earlier, and improve the treatment and care of people living with heart disease.”
