Lay summary
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in New Zealand. It is important to identify those at risk. In those already diagnosed with heart disease, it is essential to make sure they have the right tests and treatments to improve outcomes.
In this fellowship, I will use computed tomography (CT) to look at the link between heart disease and traumatic experiences in childhood, which are unfortunately common in New Zealand. I will look for early plaque in the heart arteries to identify who may be at risk and may benefit from early treatment. I will also look at CT scans of people’s heart arteries with suspected heart attacks. I will look for markers of what type of heart attack they have had to identify those who need further tests or treatments. The final study uses CT to see if a new drug reduces inflammation after a heart attack.