In this episode of "Heart of the Matter," we dive into the fascinating connections between health literacy and cardiovascular disease (CVD) with Dr. Bonnie Beasant, an early-career lecturer and researcher.

Join us as we explore barriers to health literacy among underserved populations, the behavioral and clinical factors influencing CVD, and practical steps to enhance heart health education. With insights from Bonnie’s groundbreaking research and her work as Associate Lecturer in the Global Medicine Team at University of Western Australia, this episode bridges the gap between public health and clinical care to promote understanding and wellbeing.

Australian CVD Risk Checker

On this episode, we sit down with Professor John Fraser, Director of the Critical Care Research Group at Prince Charles Hospital. Professor Fraser is an absolute legend in the field of critical care research. He has led several incredible initiatives, too many to list here.

He also has a past life as an actor, so we use this interview to discuss how John combines his two passions of the arts and medicine in his daily work.

In this episode, we sit down with Kirsty Freeman, Associate Professor at the Rural Clinical school of Western Australia. Kirsty shares her perspective on the heart and how we keep the heart going, the work of first responders, and the difficulties faced by rural and remote clinicians. Kirsty discusses her experiences working in remote communities as well as her work in the impact of imposter phenomenon (not imposter syndrome!) in healthcare simulation educators.

In this episode Brid also shares a story about how her Uncle Hugh was physically revived by a passerby and then cared for by paramedics and hospital staff after he had a cardiac arrest in the community many years ago. He was forever grateful for the help he received and the way he was able to lead a full and fulfilling life after the event.

Unfortunately, since this episode was recorded, Hughie passed away in his own home on a property he loved in the rural countryside of Western Australia. We want to dedicate this episode to him, all the first responders doing a magnificent job each and every day, and all those members of the community who upskill themselves and are willing to jump in and save a stranger.