Member Spotlight: Tian Wang
What inspired your interest in Hypertension?
My interest in hypertension grew naturally from my background as a dietitian and cardiovascular researcher. I began my career focused on nutrition and lifestyle interventions for cardiovascular disease, completing a PhD in Medicine and Health and working as a research dietitian in clinical trials. However, the more I worked in cardiovascular prevention, the more fascinated I became by hypertension and the opportunities to look beyond nutrition alone.
This interest is also deeply personal. My father, uncle and grandfather have all lived with hypertension. Like many people with high blood pressure, they often felt completely well despite having an important cardiovascular risk factor. Seeing this within my own family made the “silent” nature of hypertension very real to me and strengthened my desire to understand how we can detect, treat and control it more effectively.
Moving into hypertension research has allowed me to expand from nutrition and lifestyle interventions into pharmacological treatment, blood pressure variability and implementation science. What inspires me most is that the knowledge I gain can potentially help not only my own family, but millions of people living with hypertension across Australia and around the world.
Tell us about your research or initiatives focused on preventing, detecting, and managing high blood pressure and its complications.
My research focuses on improving the prevention, detection and management of hypertension, spanning nutrition and lifestyle, community screening, pharmacological treatment, medication access and adherence and blood pressure variability.
My work in prevention builds on my background as a dietitian and cardiovascular researcher. I have investigated dietary patterns associated with cardiovascular health, including developing and validating a heart-healthy plant-based diet score and examining its associations with cardiovascular outcomes. This work has strengthened my interest in translating modifiable lifestyle factors into practical strategies for preventing hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
A major focus of my research is improving long-term hypertension management. My research on Australia’s 60-day dispensing policy examined its implementation and implications for access to antihypertensive medications. Published in the Medical Journal of Australia and featured by Channel 9 News, this work highlighted the importance of medication access, affordability and health-system policy in supporting people living with chronic conditions.
I also investigate whether antihypertensive therapies can improve not only mean blood pressure but also blood pressure variability, an independent cardiovascular risk marker. My recent study has examined the effects of low-dose triple combination therapy on different measures of blood pressure variability and the potential implications for preventing stroke and other cardiovascular complications in the TRIDENT trial.
More recently, I have expanded my work to medication adherence, investigating whether non-adherence should be considered an independent and modifiable cardiovascular risk factor.
For detection, I am developing an independent program evaluating community-based blood pressure and cardiovascular risk screening through SiSU Health Stations. This work will examine what happens after elevated risk is identified, including subsequent GP attendance, Heart Health Checks, discussions about cardiovascular risk and pathways connecting community screening with primary care. This is particularly important because hypertension is often asymptomatic and can remain undetected for years.
Ultimately, my goal is to connect nutrition, early detection, pharmacological treatment, medication access and adherence and implementation science to improve hypertension care – from preventing and identifying high blood pressure earlier to achieving sustained blood pressure control and reducing cardiovascular complications.
From nutrition to medicines to intervention delivery: transforming hypertension prevention and care.
Have you received any awards, grants, or publications for your work related to Hypertension?
Awards
- European Society of Cardiology
- Award – Working Group on Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy [International Award]
- International Research Awards on Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
- Award – Best Researcher Award in 2023 [International Award]
- The Cardiac Soscity of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ)
- Award – European Society of Cardiology Travelling Fellowship $5000 [International Award]
- Award – Allied Health, Science and Technology Prize Finalist at the CSANZ 2025 [International Award]
- The University of Sydney, Australia
- $7,000 – The Paulette Isabel Jones Career Award in 2023
- Award – University of Sydney Prize
- NSW Cardiovascular Research Network
- $3,185 – Professional Development Awards in 2024
- University of New South Wales
- $2,000 – Cardiac, Vascular & Metabolic Medicine EMCR Conference Award 2025
Grants
- University of New South Wales, Australia
- $25,000 – 2026-2027 Medicine & Health Collaborative Seed Grant. My role: CIB, study design, data collection and analysis, manuscript writing. Title: More medicine, less cost: Understanding the impact of Australia’s 60 day dispensing policy for people with cardiometabolic disease.
- $2,000 – 2025 Cardiac, Vascular & Metabolic Medicine Research Dissemination Top-up Grant to support my presentation at the ASCEPT & Hypertension Australia conference 2025
Publications
- T. Wang, A. Masedunkas, W.C. Willett, L. Fontana. Vegetarian and vegan diets: benefits and drawbacks, European Heart Journal, 2023; ehad436, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehad436 IF 39.3 Citations: 241 since published in 2023, including 2 international clinical guidelines and top Cardiovascular Journals; FWCI 8.23; 28 news outlets including The Conversation; Altmetric 342, top 1% of outputs of the same age, 102 times more citations than similar studies.
- T. Wang, C. M. Kroeger, S. Cassidy, S. Mitra, R. Ribeiro, S. Jose, A. Masedunskas, L. Fontana. Vegetarian Dietary Patterns and Cardiometabolic Risk in People With or at High Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(7):e2325658. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023 IF 13.8 Citations: 57 since published in 2023, including 2 international clinical guidelines; FWCI 6.05 (Scopus); 50 news outlets including The Medical News; Altmetric 452, top 1% of outputs of the same age. I conceived the study and conducted a meta-analysis.
- T. Wang, A. Nova, S. Cassidy, T. Fazia, S. Mitra, C. M. Kroeger, A. Masedunskas, L. Bernardinelli, W.C. Willett, L. Fontana. Association of a healthy plant-based heart-protective diet with reduced cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality: findings from the UK Biobank Study. Nutrients. 2025; 17(16):2675. IF 5.8
- Wang, T; Nguyen, L; Tan, I; Atkins, E; Gnanenthiran, S; Falster, M; Pearson, S-A; Picone, D; Rodgers, A; Schutte, A. Evaluating the uptake and potential cost savings of a new 60-day dispensing policy for antihypertensive medicines in Australia. Medical Journal of Australia. 2026 Apr;224(4):e70167.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
K-pop dance, travel, reading, singing, enjoying sunshine and fresh air.
Do you have any travel adventures or bucket list destinations you're hoping to experience?
I do!! I have visited 21 countries and 124 cities so far. I would love to go to Japan next to go skiing and enjoy Matcha, which is my favourite!
What's the last great book you read, movie you saw, or show you watched?
I am reading a lot of great books right now! Atomic Habits, Barefoot Investors, and How Diet Makes Us Fat are possibly my Top 3.
Where can we find out more about your work with Hypertension?
This is my recent interview with Channel 9 on 60day dispensing policy and antihypertensives: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gN3zzQSJLA