“This research is really close to my heart”

Sonia’s story

Dr Sonia Shah is a cardiovascular researcher at The University of Queensland and a Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellow.  

Driven by both scientific curiosity and personal experience, she is working to unlock new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat heart disease using large-scale genetic and health data.  Having had family members and friends affected by heart disease, Sonia has seen firsthand the impact it can have on individuals, families and communities.

Her experience has fueled a passion for improving outcomes for people affected by heart disease, especially those who have been under-represented in research, such as women and culturally diverse populations. 

Today, Sonia leads research aimed at ensuring future advances in heart health benefit everyone. Through her work, she is helping build a future where more people can understand their risk earlier and take action to protect their heart health. 

Research advancing equity in heart care

For Sonia, the Heart Foundation Fellowship was a turning point, enabling her to establish an independent research program. With this support, Sonia and her team have identified important sex differences in the relationship between depression and heart disease, underscoring the need for sex-specific risk calculators.

Sonia also believes the fellowship brought valuable recognition, opening doors and strengthening her ability to drive impactful research.

Learn more about Sonia’s Heart Foundation-funded research: