
Prof McMullen will also lead the Heart Muscle Group at HRI. Her lab is recognised internationally for work that defined molecular differences between physiological and pathological heart enlargement, and the therapeutic opportunities of targeting these differences in settings of heart failure, atrial fibrillation (AF) and diabetes.
She is fascinated by the idea that the heart enlarges in elite athletes or those who exercise a lot, and this heart growth is good. Conversely, the heart also enlarges in people with heart disease or heart failure, but this heart growth is bad.
She was recently awarded a 2024 NHMRC Investigator grant of more than $2.3 million, which will go towards targeting the protective properties of exercises to prevent and treat cardiometabolic disease in males and females.
Her team has published in high impact journals including PNAS, Circulation-Heart Failure, Nature Communications, Cell Reports, and Nature Cardiovascular Research.
Prof McMullen also made her mark in the areas of research development and quality through several initiatives, including founding and coordinating the first Mentoring Program and establishing the Research Quality Steering Committee and serving as Co-Chair at the Baker.
She has been on the Executive council of the International Society for Heart Research-Australasian Section, and serves on a number of journal editorial boards (Clinical Science, JMCC-Plus, Am J Physiol-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, CEPP, Current Opinion in Physiology). She was recently appointed as an Associate Editor of a new Nature Portfolio Journal-NPJ-Cardiovascular Health.
With this wealth of experience and accolades, Prof McMullen will be a huge asset to HRI.