La Trobe University researcher Dr Amy Baxter has been recognised by the Heart Foundation Australia for her innovation and leadership.
Dr Baxter has received more than $500,000 in grant funding from the national foundation as part of a prestigious four-year Future Leader Fellowship.
The Fellowship supports aspiring leaders who are developing their own independent research portfolio, through to established leaders of cardiovascular research groups with extensive research portfolios.
In addition, Dr Baxter was one of only two female Fellows to receive the Shirley E Freeman Award, which is given to the most outstanding researchers.
The award, valued at $20,000, is named in honour of Dr Freeman AM, the first woman to receive research funding from the Heart Foundation.
Dr Baxter's research focuses on boosting efferocytosis, the process of removing dead or dying cells, to promote tissue repair in vascular diseases.
She was the 2022 Tracey Banivanua Mar Research Fellow at La Trobe, a fellowship which supports future research leaders who have major care-giving responsibilities.
"I am extremely honoured to receive this fellowship and the associated Shirley E Freeman Innovation award. This funding will allow me to drive my research program that aims to develop novel therapeutics to treat cardiovascular disorders through promoting vessel repair," Dr Baxter said.
"I am so grateful to the National Heart Foundation for this recognition, and to all my mentors who have supported me along the way. I am really excited by where this research can now go."
La Trobe's Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Industry Engagement, Chris Pakes said the awards were recognition of Dr Baxter's exceptional work.
"Amy is a leader in her field and has proven over many years that she is both a pioneering and hard-working researcher whose projects have significant impact on the health of Australians and people across the world," Professor Pakes said.
"I pass on my congratulations on this latest success and look forward to seeing the next developments in Amy's important research."
Heart Foundation CEO David Lloyd said research played a critical role cardiovascular health outcomes.
"Heart disease remains a devastating health issue, claiming the lives of one person every 18 minutes. Researchers play a crucial role in working to turn this statistic around. Their work helps us understand the causes, develop more effective treatments, and improve prevention strategies," Mr Lloyd said.
More than four million people in Australia currently live with cardiovascular disease. It claims nearly 45,000 lives annually, with coronary heart disease remaining the nation's leading cause of death, responsible for more than 18,600 deaths each year.
