July 31, 2023

UOW Professor Caleb Ferguson wins NSW Tall Poppy Award

Australian Institute of Policy and Science Awards recognise early-career scientists

Professor Caleb Ferguson, from University of Wollongong’s (UOW) School of Nursing has been awarded a  2023 NSW Tall Poppy Science Award in recognition of his contribution to stroke and cardiovascular research.  

The annual Tall Poppy Awards, created by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science, honour up-and-coming scientists who combine world-class research with an enthusiastic commitment to communicating science. The awards are widely considered to be an early indicator of Australia’s future scientific leaders, identifying excellent early career scientists. Recipients of the Awards (referred to as ‘Tall Poppies’) promote interest in science among students in all stages of learning, teachers and peers and provide understanding and an appreciation of science in the broader community.

Professor Ferguson was thrilled that the award recognised his passion for research and for helping audiences to understand the intricacies of his work.

“It's not research until it's published, they say. Yet, the research cycle doesn’t end at publication. It’s only the beginning of science communication, dissemination, and knowledge translation.”

Having published more than 120 academic works and awarded more than $12 million in competitive research funding, Professor Ferguson ensures that for each study, the findings are translated into plain English and shared back to the research participants, the community, and the end-users.

Professor Ferguson RN is Professor of Nursing (Chronic and Complex Care) and Associate Head of School (Research Strategy, Development and Partnership) in UOW’s School of Nursing. He is an National Health and Medical Research Council Emerging Leadership Fellow and Academic Director of the Centre for Chronic and Complex Care Research, a collaboration between UOW and Western Sydney Local Health District, where he leads a program of clinical research in chronic care, with a focus on cardiovascular disease, stroke, and frailty.

He has authored 13 articles for The Conversation about cardiovascular disease, stroke and digital health, with many being republished and translated by major news outlets, reaching and audience of more than 200,000 readers.

Since 2012, Professor Ferguson has been a volunteer for the Stroke Foundation. As a StrokeSafe Speaker, he engagies with community and business groups and has presented numerous times on stroke prevention education.

Through these talks, he promotes the FAST (Face, Arm, Speech, Time) message for early stroke detection and dispels myths and misconceptions about stroke prevention and management.

“I feel very privileged to be recognised in this way,” Professor Ferguson said. “Research is a team sport – and it’s a wonderful recognition to all the great collaborators and students I have had the privilege and delight to work with over the seven years since my PhD.

“A special thanks to everyone at the Stroke Foundation, where I’ve been volunteering for over 10 years as a community Stroke Safe Speaker. This has been a great way to connect with the community and share science and key prevention messages about stroke. It’s a real privilege to be able to connect with local communities in this way.”

Professor Ferguson’s post-doctoral research focused on addressing detection, treatment optimisation and long-term management of atrial fibrillation, a common cause of stroke, and the educational needs of clinicians and patients through app-based technologies. The EVI-COAG study found an educational intervention improved clinician knowledge and stroke risk assessment in acute care.

His Heart Foundation post-doctoral research fellowship partnered with consumers and clinicians to co-design and pilot a digital educational program for atrial fibrillation. They discovered that an app-based education package increased atrial fibrillation-related knowledge and quality of life and are now testing this in a pilot randomised control trial, supported through the Stroke Foundation’s Nancy and Vic Allen Stroke Prevention Fund.

UOW Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Patricia M Davidson said, “Professor Ferguson is a rising star in cardiovascular nursing research. His research addresses the growing societal challenge of advanced ageing and frailty. Using technology, he is pioneering new models of care for chronic disease management and transforming care outcomes for older adults.”

Last week it was also announced that Professor Ferguson is a finalist in the 2023 Health Minister's Award for Nursing Trailblazers, which recognises nurses whose leadership has led to innovative solutions addressing key challenges facing health and aged care systems for his work in stroke prevention.