My interest in the physiology of arteries began as a PhD student at the Baker Heart Institute in Melbourne, Australia. Moving to the Hammersmith Hospital, London, my research focused on the role of vascular ageing and its contribution to the development of hypertension in the elderly. As part of the HYVET study we were able to delineate the contribution of vascular stiffness to the development of complications of hypertension. In my current position as Chair of Geriatrics and Stroke Medicine at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, UK, I have published over 300 papers and abstracts relating to arterial ageing, stroke, hypertension and adverse drug reactions.

I have been an active member of Artery for the last 10 years and I am keen to ensure that it remains a leading international organisation in development of knowledge about arterial function. I would like to promote the application of measures of arterial function in clinical practice. In addition, I would like to encourage research among junior members and develop links with other organisations interested in cardiovascular disease. In my role as Secretary for Artery I have been able to increase research into the link between arterial function, stroke and hypertension.

My links with the Royal College of Physicians, London, National Institute for Health Research, and the British and Irish Hypertension Society have enabled me to promote the importance of vascular changes with ageing and hypertension more widely.

In my free time I enjoy photography, gardening and growing orchids, cycling and cooking.