1. Tell us about yourself.

I recently started my postdoctoral position under the supervision of Dr. Dean Picone, focusing on the accuracy of home blood pressure monitors. Prior to this, I completed my PhD, which examined how digital health technologies can support patients with atrial fibrillation. I am also involved in the National Hypertension Taskforce which aims to improve blood pressure control in Australia from 32% to 70% by 2030.

2. What are your research interests?

I am interested in supporting patients with cardiovascular disease in self-managing their condition – this can be through optimising home blood pressure monitoring or educational programs that assist patients in self-management. I also have a particular interest in exploring how digital technologies can facilitate patient-led management of cardiovascular disease.

3. What are you working on right now?

The team and I are working on a clinical research project to determine the accuracy of home blood pressure monitors used by Australians through formal validation testing, along with accuracy testing novel wearable devices that measure blood pressure against gold-standard 24-hour ambulatory monitoring. I am also completing the systematic review and meta-analysis from my PhD which will provide insight into the effectiveness of digital interventions for supporting self-management in patients with atrial fibrillation.

4. What do you hope to achieve in the field of hypertension over the next 5 years?

I hope to advance the field by informing accuracy of home blood pressure devices, particularly ones used in the Australia community. The hope being that this research will influence clinical guidelines, clinical practice, device manufacturers and patients in the community.

5. What challenges have you faced in your career to date?

One challenge has been transitioning into the field of hypertension. My PhD was primarily focussed on atrial fibrillation with a small portion looking at hypertension control in these patients. Although engaging with research in a new clinical field has been challenging, I have found it interesting. In particular, I have developed a keen interest in exploring how self-management of common cardiac comorbidities can be facilitated.

6. Which of your publications are you proudest of and why (please include paper reference)

I am proudest of this publication: Trivedi R et al. 2024. Factors influencing blood pressure control in patients with atrial fibrillation and hypertension in Australian primary care.

This is because I was required to learn statistical programming to enable me to analyse data from a large primary care dataset. I encountered many challenges at the beginning of the learning process, but I am grateful for the experience because the skills I acquired have proven to be extremely valuable in my research journey.

7. What is your favourite manuscript from a lab other than your own?

One manuscript that I seem to frequently come back to is: Guo et al. 2020. Mobile health technology to improve care for patients with atrial fibrillation. It is a pivotal study, that successfully implemented a digitally enabled integrated care program for ~1600 patients with atrial fibrillation across many centres in China and found improvements in health outcomes, hospitalisation rates, patient-reported outcomes and was found to be cost-effective. A key challenge with digital health is implementation and the methodologies that were used to achieve these outcomes in this work are commendable.

8. What are your passions outside of work?

I enjoy Pilates, costal walks and watching movies. I also love travelling, trying out new restaurants and spending time with friends and family.