Hypertension pioneer added to Victorian Women’s Honour Roll

Associate Professor Jun Yang has been recognised as a change agent in the field of hypertension research and treatment, with the Victorian government adding her to the state’s official Honour Roll of Women.

Minister for Women, the Hon. Natalie Hutchins MP, formally inducted A/Prof Yang to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women at an evening ceremony on Wednesday, 16 October 2024.

The award comes in honour of A/Prof Yang’s years of work to increase the diagnosis and treatment of Primary Aldosteronism (PA), which is responsible for up to 10 per cent of all cases of hypertension (high blood pressure).

Understanding Primary Aldosteronism

She estimates that PA afflicts up to 600,000 Australians, with many of them unaware of the condition, meaning that both their PA and their hypertension are likely to go untreated.

In nominating A/Prof Yang for the honour, Monash Health oncologist Dr Ranjana Srivastava said “One in ten hypertensive patients have it but only one in a thousand is diagnosed, potentially cutting short many lives.”

“Under A/Prof Yang’s leadership, diagnoses have increased forty-fold, leading to the service being recognised by Monash Health and the Victorian Public Health Awards.”

Professor Peter Fuller, Head of Monash Health’s Endocrinology Unit and Hudson Institute’s Centre for Endocrinology and Metabolism, described her as a force of nature whose academic trajectory has been stellar.

Advancing PA diagnosis

“She has successfully integrated her clinical expertise with discovery science and community outreach to advance the diagnosis of PA, an under-recognised, potentially curable, cause of hypertension,” Prof Fuller said.

“(She is) an extraordinary young clinician-researcher who has successfully juggled clinical, family and academic responsibilities to be a role model for young women in science and endocrinology, with a reach and impact well beyond Victoria.”

In accepting the honour, Jun Yang was typically modest, saying such awards are not for the individual, but the team. 

“If it wasn’t for my very understanding bosses who allowed me to work flexibly in conjunction with parenting while providing all kinds of growth opportunities, AND my family for filling the childcare gaps and encouraging work/life balance, AND my research team for sharing the exciting work and tackling the difficult issues together, AND so many others who create a cohesive and nurturing research environment … I could not have possibly become a “change agent”.   Minister Hutchins told A/Prof Yang that she is joining a group of remarkable Victorian women who share her leadership, tenacity and unwavering determination to advance gender equality and make our state a better place.