ACvA Emerging Leaders Committee (ELC) member Dr Ingrid Stacey bridges cardiovascular epidemiology, biostatistics and population health research to better understand what drives health outcomes and what can improve them.

Dr Stacey is a Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia’s Cardiovascular Epidemiology Research Centre, as well as an affiliate at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in the Cardiology Population Health Laboratory. She works in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and organisations on cardiovascular health and data projects. “Data is really my passion. It's got so much potential to answer our questions,” she says.

Her career began in a very different space. Starting as a research scientist in a biotech startup in Sydney, Dr Stacey describes a strong curiosity that has guided her path. “I’m very curious. I like answering questions and I try to always be aligning work and research which will be of benefit to people,” she says.

She later moved into biostatistics, where she found a natural home for her interest in data. “Data is very powerful but you’ve got to consider it within its context, be respectful and ask the right questions to build the evidence of what is or isn’t working,” she says.

Her entry into cardiovascular research came via a role in Perth working on the End Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) in Australia: Study of Epidemiology, which was seeking a biostatistician. Drawing on earlier laboratory experience across microbiology, drug discovery, and immune-mediated disease, she found the field of RHD brought her varied background together. “Here was this disease that covered everything I had encountered in my career as a medical researcher which had equity and public health at its core, I was hooked straight away,” she says.

Alongside her research, Dr Stacey is an active member of the ACvA ELC, which she says has been deeply valuable for connection and collaboration. “We can be a bit isolated over here in the west, so joining the committee has allowed these amazing networking opportunities and the ability to talk with people from all these different disciplines,” she says. “We have people who are into devices, cardiologists, nurses and allied health clinicians all doing incredible things.”

She values the committee as a space for emerging and established researchers to connect across Australia. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet people at your own level and find out about research that’s being done on the other side of the country and understand the cardiovascular research landscape and who everyone is. You can get stuck in your own little world.”

Dr Stacey also highlights the particular importance of addressing cardiovascular health challenges across different Australian regions. “Some areas are not as populous, but the health concerns are just as complex and pressing and there are accessibility issues in this country.”

She is inspired by the energy and focus of her fellow committee members. “They’re really action focused and passionate about having an impact,” she says. She also sees the broader value of ACvA in supporting early and mid-career researchers: “It feels like ACvA is making space for the next round of leaders and really encouraging those researchers and giving them the opportunity to sit alongside more senior members of the sector.”

Reflecting on this support, she adds, “Some EMCRs can feel like they’re out there on their own. ACvA is like an amazing supervisor who can link you to all the right people.”

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