NON-INVASIVE TOOLS FOR CVD SCREENING AND MONITORING
Dr Hadi Afsharan,
Research Fellow
University of Western Australia &
Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research,
Perth, Western Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Perth, Australia | November 2025
Dr Hadi Afsharan is a Research Fellow Cardiovascular Science & Diabetes at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research; is a translational research and innovation fellow in medical technologies at The University of Western Australia, holding dual titles as Translational Fellow and Innovation Fellow within UWA’s Medical School and the FHRI (Future Health Research and Innovation) program.
He earned his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from UWA in 2023, with a thesis entitled Development of Polarisation-Sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography for Application in Medical Diagnosis, which introduced a pioneering non-invasive imaging method for detecting hypertension and diabetes by analysing retinal blood vessel wall birefringence with exceptional sensitivity and specificity.
Hadi leads several translational research projects, including AI-based retinal biomarkers for coronary artery disease screening, low-cost imaging technologies for heart disease detection in remote communities, and radar-based non-contact measurement of jugular venous pressure, all supported by over $1.8 million in competitive funding from FHRI and UWA.
Source: Supplied
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7874-2766
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Next Generation Condom Contraception, Dr Simon Cook
Dr. Simon Cook, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Operations at Eudaemon Technologies, has had a diverse and impactful career journey. Beginning with a background in biotechnology from the University of Wollongong, his focus on bacterial pathogenesis during his PhD led him to study Group A Strep and the streptokinase protein.
Subsequently, Dr. Cook ventured into a unique project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where he became involved in the development of a next-generation condom to address existing issues such as feel, odour, and taste.
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Risk factors and prevention of respiratory infections and infectious diseases in children
A/Prof Hannah Moore OAM is an infectious disease epidemiologist; Co-Head of the Infectious Disease Epidemiology team within the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases at The Kids Research Institute Australia and Associate Professor at the School of Population Health, Curtin University in Western Australia.
A/Prof Moore has been awarded more than $19M in competitive research grants, co-authored more than 140 papers, was TEDxPerth 2018 speaker, recipient of a WA Young Tall Poppy Award (2013) and the WA Premiers Science Early Career Scientist Award (2015). In 2024, she was honoured with a Medal of the Order of Australia for her service to epidemiology as a researcher.
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Elite athlete physical and mental health impact performance
Understanding the interaction between genes and lifestyle factors in response to stress can lead to potential therapeutic interventions for stress-related disorders. This research is crucial for promoting health and well-being.
Professor Mehta has recently commenced research into elite athlete physical and mental health impact performance, with research at the intersection of statistics, genomics, and mental health. This research is ahead of, and in anticipation of, the Summer Olympics in Brisbane in 2032.
