Major international study on menopause and heart disease

Media release: 21 January 2026

Global grant to fund Australian researcher in a major international study on women’s cardiovascular health and menopause

Risk of heart disease during menopause to be better understood through groundbreaking new international research funded by the Global Cardiovascular Research Funders Forum (GCRFF)

An eminent Australian women’s health expert will co-lead a major international study that could change how heart disease is prevented in millions of women as they enter menopause.

The groundbreaking research project, which has the potential to shape global guidelines and redefine how heart health is impacted during menopause, can today be announced as the winner of a grant of close to USD $10 million to help deliver real‑world impact as awarded by a subgroup of the Global Cardiovascular Research Funders Forum (GCRFF).

The GCRFF is a network of major international cardiovascular research funders, of which the Heart Foundation is the Australian member. The GCRFF’s International Research Challenge (IRC) on Women’s Cardiovascular Health grant is the alliance’s first major joint investment which represents a bold step to address areas of unmet clinical need within women’s cardiovascular health.

Heart disease is the number one killer of women worldwide and many women experience a sharp rise in heart disease risk after menopause. Experts are now keen to understand what can be done during menopause to help mitigate this risk.

The successful application, the SHE‑HEALS study, aims to answer this question.

Co-led by Professor Martha Hickey of the University of Melbourne alongside British Heart Foundation Professor Ziad Mallat of the University of Cambridge, the SHE‑HEALS study will use cutting-edge techniques to discover the changes in arteries that start during perimenopause and drive increasing heart disease risk.

Prof Hickey, a leading expert in menopause and reproductive health who is Co‑Director of the Gynaecology Research Centre and Head of Unit for Menopause Services at the Women’s Hospital, will lead a cohort study through the project which aims to demonstrate how early surgical menopause affects cardiovascular risk factors as well as the impact of menopausal hormone therapy on these outcomes.

The project will seek to further understand what happens inside women’s arteries during menopause by using advanced techniques to track changes in cells, genes and proteins.

As part of the SHE‑HEALS study, a clinical trial will test whether early treatments such as lowering cholesterol and blood pressure right after menopause can protect women’s hearts for decades to come.

Prof Hickey thanked the GCRFF and the Heart Foundation for their unprecedented support, and said the research had the potential to save millions of lives.

“We know that menopause seems to be a critical time for women’s heart health and this major global study will help us support women and clinicians to reduce this risk,” Prof Hickey said.

It’s truly an honour to be co-leading this multinational study from Australia and I believe that together we can make a real change in the understanding and management of heart health for millions of women worldwide.”

Professor Martha Hickey

University of Melbourne

David Lloyd, CEO of the Heart Foundation, representing Australia on the GCRFF said:

“This is the first major joint investment by the GCRFF, a collaboration of 12 of the largest heart research funding organisations across the globe. The National Heart Foundation of Australia is a founding member of the GCRFF and one of the ten contributors to funding for this grant.

We are extremely proud to be supporting this study and are rapt that Professor Hickey, an eminent expert in women’s health, will be leading the Australian arm of this project. It just goes to show the degree of expertise Australia has when it comes to research excellence."

David Lloyd

CEO of the Heart Foundation

“Together, GCRFF members hope this winning network will deliver impact that no single country could achieve alone.”

For more information on the GCRFF visit: gcrff.org/resource-hub

For more information on the SHE‑HEALS project visit: gcrff.org/she-heals

About the Global Cardiovascular Research Funders Forum (GCRFF)

The Global Cardiovascular Research Funders Forum (GCRFF) was founded in 2018 and is a coalition of major international cardiovascular research funders whose aim is to improve cardiovascular health worldwide by catalysing, supporting and promoting transformational international research efforts in heart, stroke and circulatory diseases.

The Heart Foundation is the Australian member of the GCRFF.