Research Supervisor Connect
The student will undertake a rigorous accuracy assessment of emerging ‘cuffless’ wearable blood pressure monitoring devices and determine factors associated with accuracy. Measurement accuracy is fundamental to the utility of such devices, and cuffless results will be compared with gold-standard 24-hr ambulatory monitoring.
New technologies are emerging for measurement of blood pressure (BP) that do not require the use of a conventional inflatable cuff. These technologies, known as ‘cuffless’ BP monitoring devices, use different approaches to obtain BP values including physiological signals collected from light sensors, pressure sensors or a range of demographic factors.
One of the critical barriers to use of cuffless BP in clinical practice is concerns about measurement accuracy. New technologies require rigorous diagnostic accuracy testing, the capacity of a test to correctly identify presence or absence of disease, or in this case, high BP. One aim of this body of research is to undertake diagnostic accuracy testing of cuffless BP devices compared with ambulatory BP monitoring, to determine concordance of measurements to detect hypertension. Certain diurnal changes (e.g., nighttime BP dipping) have been shown predictive of CVD events, yet some research shows cuffless devices do not track the natural drop in BP that occurs at nighttime, during sleep. This project will include using the recently proposed ‘awake-asleep’ test to compare cuffless device recording with gold-standard, 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring, with the aim of conducting formal validation of cuffless BP monitors.
Exploratory analyses to understand the factors associated with the level of accuracy of cuffless monitors will also be undertaken. The research generated in this PhD is set to inform the scientific and medical communities of the utility and accuracy of cuffless devices for ongoing BP monitoring.
Research Location: Susan Wakil Health Building, Camperdown Campus. This PhD opportunity requires in-person study.
We seek an exceptional candidate to become a future leader in cardiovascular health and disease research. This project is offered by a close-knit, ambitious group with extensive national and international academic collaborations.
The successful candidate will join a vibrant cohort of fellow researchers and students and will benefit from access to additional training activities through the University of Sydney and collaborative research. The candidate will be embedded in inter-disciplinary networks designed to foster future opportunities for collaboration and career development.
This is an opportunity for a motivated candidate from a medicine, science, health sciences, public health or biotechnology background.
The candidate will develop skills that include but are not limited to:
• scoping, systematic reviews and meta-analysis
• designing rigorous clinical research studies
• clinical research data collection – various methods of blood pressure measurement, anthropometry, questionnaires
• quantitative statistical analysis utilising statistical programming packages (including R, SPSS)
• scientific writing and writing for publication
• developing health policy guidelines.
About you
One scholarship is available from the research team. However, applicants are encouraged to apply for various scholarships from the University of Sydney.
Open to national and international students.
Please include:
• a full academic CV
• degree certificate and transcripts of marks.
• to apply for this opportunity applicants should complete an online application form and attach the following documentation to support their application
• applicants should have at least a first-class Bachelors Honours degree (or international equivalent) in a relevant subject area. A Master's degree is desirable, but not essential.
Before you apply
please make direct contact with Dr Picone to discuss your suitability for the program before applying. It is your responsibility to make arrangements to meet with your potential supervisor, prior to submitting a formal online application.
How to Apply
applications (including a cover letter, CV and any additional supporting documentation) must be submitted directly to Dean Picone
dean.picone@sydney.edu.au
The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is 3583