CLINICAL GUIDELINES FOR DIAGNOSTICS AND EARLY INTERVENTION IN PRIMARY ALDOSTERONISM
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Associate Professor Jun Yang (Filmed May 2024)
Head of Endocrine Hypertension Group, Hudson Institute of Medical Research
Consultant Endocrinologist at Monash Health &
Senior Researcher in Department of Medicine at Monash University, Victoria, Australia
Associate Professor Jun Yang is the Head of the Endocrine Hypertension Group at Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Consultant Endocrinologist at Monash Health and Senior Researcher in the Department of Medicine at Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
Yang graduated from Monash University with a MBBS (Hon) in 2001, obtained the FRACP in 2010 and completed her PhD on tissue-selective coregulators of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) in 2013.
She has continued basic and clinical research in the field of MR-driven cardiovascular disease, in particular, primary aldosteronism. Primary Aldosteronism (PA), or Conn Syndrome, is the most commonly under-diagnosed cause of high blood pressure affecting millions of people. Jun’s goal is to facilitate the diagnosis of every case of PA and make treatment widely available to all communities including the disadvantaged.
She established the Endocrine Hypertension Service in 2016 and co-leads the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Primary Aldosteronism.
“My main interest lies in the translation of primary aldosteronism research into revised clinical guidelines, improved diagnostic tools and transformed practice to help patients. In addition, I am identifying the earliest point of disease occurrence with the aim of enabling earlier intervention and return to health”, says Associate Professor Yang.
Together with national and international collaborators, her research program seeks to improve the detection and understanding of primary aldosteronism to achieve improved patient outcomes.
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Better biomarkers for predicting the incidence of having atherosclerosis and heart attack
Assoc Prof Bursill is a vascular biologist with interests and expertise in vascular inflammation, atherosclerosis and angiogenesis. She completed her PhD at The University of Adelaide in lipid metabolism then headed to Oxford University for five years to undergo a postdoctoral post in the Departments of Cardiovascular Medicine and Pathology. Her postdoctoral time triggered her interest in the mechanisms that cause atherosclerosis and in particular the role of small inflammatory proteins called chemokines.
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Mental wellbeing in rural and regional communities dealing with environmental challenges
Associate Professor Suzie Cosh is a psychologist and clinical researcher. Her work focuses on the intersection of climate change and mental health and she currently leads a body of work that focuses on supporting small rural communities to recover from and prepare for extreme weather events such as bushfires, floods and droughts.
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Infections and other lung diseases using models of human lung tissue grown from stem cells
Dr Rhiannon Werder is a Team Leader at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute leading a multidisciplinary team, combining expertise in stem cell biology and immunology, to develop new therapies for lung diseases. Her research centres around induced pluripotent stem cells to investigate respiratory diseases, spanning acute respiratory infections to chronic lung diseases. Using stem cells, Dr Werder’s team creates models of human lung tissue. With these models, Dr Werder is investigating how human-specific pathogens infect different regions of the lung, the ensuing immune responses, and how the lung repairs itself after infections, especially in people with preexisting lung diseases.
