Pulmonary hypertension is the main focus of my research, and in particular the two rare subtypes called pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). In PAH and CTEPH the small pulmonary arteries are affected and become narrow and stiff leading to increased pulmonary vascular resistance and increased load on the right ventricle. The patient will experience symptoms of dyspnea and fatigue at light exercise or rest and if untreated, syncope, chest pain and death. While medical treatment slows the progression of the disease there is still much to learn and understand about how the heart is affected and how the patients experience living with the diagnoses.

The aim of my research is to improve life for these patients in the time before diagnosis, at the time of diagnosis and during the period after diagnosis until end of life. This includes a wide spectra of methods from advanced cardiac magnetic resonance imaging to study pump physiology to national health care and population registries, surveys and interviews with patients and their next of kin to study the journey from first symptom to death.