Meet Dr Chantal Attard @Chantal_Attard, the researcher from @MCRI_for_kids who is transforming the lives of children living with complex heart disease!
A thread 👇
#blood #stroke #bleeding #haematology
@AcademicChatter #thrombosis #meettheresearcher #hematology #cardiology
The coagulation system prevents the body from bleeding after injury, but what you might not know is this system continuously develops with age. This means children & adults have different risks of blood clotting + bleeding. This alters how they react to blood-thinning medications
“How can we protect our most vulnerable children?” This is the research aspiration that Chantal pursues in her daily life.
Chantal is a Senior Research Officer at the @MCRI_for_kids where she has investigated the impact that common anti-clot drugs have on the life of children with complex heart disease. These drugs are often prescribed for life & they increases the risk of having blood clots + stroke
“I am excited about the direct translational impact that my research has for patients and their families.” This is where Chantal finds her motivation, while investigating how patients, with only a dysfunctional heart, are responding to medications such as warfarin and aspirin.
She found that stroke rates were similar for children receiving either warfarin or aspirin, but bone health was poorer in those with warfarin. Given that warfarin is a difficult medication to manage, particularly in children, her findings have BIG implications for patient health
“I love that my research spans across clinical and laboratory research which allows me to work with people of really diverse research experience. I am passionate about nurturing strong and independent thinkers”
Chantal is also a really proud mother of two young girls, Allegra who just started reading and Francesca who is incredibly chatty at the age of 2!
Given the urgency if the COVID19 crisis, Chantal and the @MCRI_for_kids Haematology Research team have taken a detour from their usual research.
“Given the urgent and devastating effects of #COVID19 across the globe, our research team has joined forces with leading experts to fight against COVID19. We are interested to know why children are less effected by the disease. We hope to identify an effective treatment”
Chantal’s research is supported by an investment from the @nhmrc and the Royal Childrens Hospital Foundation.
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