Media mentions

On this page you will find media news reports of NISAN's projects during the last 2 years. For older items please refer to our archived media page.

Selection of media appearances

Below you will find a small selection of media appearances, selected from >30,000 social media mentions of Prof. Feigin and from >10,000 social mentions of Prof. Krishnamurthi (as of October 2023).

World Stroke Organization– Lancet Neurology Commission

Valery Feigin is a co-chair of a WSO Lancet Neurology Commission on global stroke. The report was launched at the World Stroke Congress in Toronto, Canada on 11 October 2023 and has received significant media attention. This includes coverage in more than 350 international news outlets, including top-tier coverage in:

• The Telegraph (UK)
• El Pais
• ABC Spain
• STAT News (included in STAT’s Morning Rounds email newsletter)
• Axios
• CNBC
• CNN
• Indian Express

There was good engagement with the Commission on LinkedIn (this post has an engagement rate of over 5%) and  X/Twitter.

Reception of Prime Minister's Science Prize

• Prime Minister's Science Prize (Aging Well - 2023)
• Prime Minister’s Science Prize: Fathers’ untimely death catalyst for ground-breaking stroke research (NZ Herald - 2023)
• Stroke risk 'quite significant' in younger people - prize-winning scientist (RNZ - 2023)
• NISAN wins first Prime Minister's Science Prize for AUT for advancing global stroke epidemiology and prevention (TUIA - AUT Intranet)
• Stroke Burden in NZ and the World: Problems and Solutions. Understanding and preventing stroke in Aotearoa and globally. (Royal Society of New Zealand lecture)

The Stroke Riskometer app and PreventS-MD web app

• Two video journals created by Balakrishnan Nair and relating to PreventS-MD have been published by VJ Neurology.
  • Revolutionizing stroke prevention: The PreventS-MD web app
  • PreventS-MD software for secondary stroke prevention
• 2023, November 17: Valery Feigin was interviewed by Star Radio (New Zealand), regarding resources NISAN and NZSET have developed to help individuals control their risk factors for stroke.
• 2022: Our guide to the apps that could save your life. The Listener.
• 2015: Integrate stroke risk app into PMS, says inventor. NZ Doctor.
• 2015: Stroke Riskometer app could save lives. Western Leader.
• Identifying stroke risk.
• Overview of the Stroke Riskometer app.
• Interview with Dr Ramesh Sahathevan, TV Australia.
• Interview with Dr Dipesh Mandal, Stroke Foundation Prof Bengal.
• Promotional video for the app on Bulgarian TV.
• Interview with Prof. Wenzhi Wang, TV China.
• Launch of cut stroke in half programme, Professor Sheila Martins.
• Interview with Prof. Mohan Mehndiratta, Indian TV.
• Presentation for World Stroke Organization.

The Global Burden of Disease Study

• 12 March 2024: Valery Feigin was interviewed by ABC News Radio (Australia) about the new GBD study on the global burden of nervous system conditions.
• Endorsement of AUT GBD Neurological Centre by IHME, Washington.
• 2017: Interview at the World Congress of Neurology re GBD Study analysis paper.

ARCOS Studies and stroke epidemiology in NZ

• Description of stroke in NZ.
• Stroke epidemiology in NZ.
• 2015: New Zealand scientists launch world’s largest health study. Scoop News.

Other media mentions

• 2024: Elon Musk’s Neuralink is a ‘risky’ venture, doctors warn. Newstalk ZB.
• 2022: Let’s talk about heart health.
• Stroke is getting younger. TVNZ News.
• 2022: Seminar with Dr. Ashley Bloomfield - Stroke prevention issues.
• 2022: Presentation at the WHO Western Pacific Innovation Challenge.
• 2021: Pacific Language week series.
• 2020: Most New Zealanders don’t know how deadly strokes are – claiming 2,300 lives a year and rising. The Conversation.
• 2020: The Conversation: Most Kiwis don't realise how deadly strokes are. The Herald.
• 2018: Health strategy misses 80 percent of people. Newsroom.
• 2016. Stroke screening is flawed. TVNZ News.
• 2016: Addressing the global stroke burden. The Economist Intelligence Unit.
• 2016: Air pollution now major contributor to stroke, global study finds. The Guardian.
• 2016: 90% of stroke burden can be avoided. Medscape.
• 2016: Most strokes worldwide caused by modifiable lifestyle factors; Air pollution is to blame for one-third of cases. Neurology Today.
• 2011: Vital science. AUT Insight magazine.
• 2009: Stroke rate decline in NZ three to four times slower than OECD. 3News.

Increasing awareness of TBI

Valery Feigin was interviewed by Moleac at the World Stroke Congress in Singapore, in October 2022. The video is intended to raise awareness about Traumatic Brain Injury and to help patients on their recovery journey.

The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/QPgInOg1aJY

Valery Feigin interviewed by VJNeurology

On 3 November 2022, Valery Feigin was interviewed by VJ Neurology.  These interviews relate to papers presented at the World Stroke Congress 2022.

• WSC 2022. An individualized approach vs the polypill for primary and secondary stroke prevention
• WSC 2022. Opportunities of digital health in individualized stroke prevention
• WSC 2022. Overcoming challenges to population wide strategies for stroke prevention
• WSC 2022. The rising global burden of stroke
• WSC 2022. Time for change: Stroke primary prevention guidelines.

The Lancet special series highlights innovation

The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific and WSO Regional Office for the Western Pacific have created a special series featuring Viewpoints of the WHO Western Pacific Innovation Challenge winners. A special collation of articles that delve into public health innovation was launched on 27 October 2022, during the RCM innovation side event.

The series dates back to November 2021, when an agreement was made between The Lancet and WPRO that the winners of the Innovation Challenge will be invited to submit their viewpoints for the special series. More than 468 entrants showed off their innovative solutions in and for the Western Pacific Region. Based on the five criteria of novelty, scalability, impact, relevance and adaptability, 29 winners were named, including Valery Feigin and the NISAN team.

Valery Feigin's viewpoint can be found here: Digital solutions for primary stroke and cardiovascular disease prevention: A mass individual and public health approach.

WSO webinars

Valery Feigin has appeared in a series of Webinars organised by the World stroke organisation.

• 14 September 2021  "Stroke in needs and numbers"
• 8 June 2022 "Digital solutions in stroke prevention"
• 7 September 2022 "Implementation and translation of stroke care in national stroke networks"

WSO hypertension guidance

On 26 August 2021, the World Stroke Organization issued a press release and video featuring Valery Feigin. The World Stroke Organization has welcomed the provision of new global guidance on the management of hypertension. The WHO Guideline for the pharmacological treatment of hypertension in adults provides new recommendations to help countries improve the management of hypertension.

2021 Pacific language week series

This is a new video series in various Pacific languages aiming to bust health myths surrounding stroke. The AUT Pacific Language Weeks project is supported by the Pacific Media Network. The videos are narrated in the Pacific language, with English subtitles. They encourage the use of the free Stroke Riskometer™ mobile app developed by Professor Valery Feigin, Director of NISAN, to assess their individual risk of stroke and undertake efforts to reduce the risk.

• Rotuman Language Week: Sunday 9 May – Saturday 15 May 2021
• Samoan language Week: Sunday 30 May - Saturday 5 June 2021
• Kiribati Language Week: Sunday 11 July – Saturday 17 July 2021
• Cook Islands Language Week: Sunday 01 August – Saturday 07 August 2021
• Tonga Language Week: Sunday 5 September – Saturday 11 September 2021
• Tuvalu Language Week: Sunday 26 September – Saturday 02 October 2021
• Fijian Language Week: Sunday 3 October – Saturday 9 October 2021
• Niue Language Week: Sunday 17 October – Saturday 23 October 2021
• Tokelau Language Week: Sunday 24 October – Saturday 30 October 2021

Rita Krishnamurthi was interviewed on Radio New Zealand, 12 May 2021:"Pacific language video series highlights key facts about strokes".

Dementia

22 March 2024: Rita Krishnamurthi was interviewed on Radio New Zealand about the new HRC-funded dementia research project: Impact of Dementia mate wareware and Solutions for Equity in Aotearoa: IDEA

March 2024:  Landmark dementia study focuses on ethnic diversity. Rita Krishnamurthi is one of the lead investigators

28 September 2021: The 2021 Dementia Economic Impact Report prepared for Alzheimer's NZ was launched by Associate Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall on 27 September. Rita Krishnamurthi is co-author.

The report was also featured on TVNZ news, and addressed in the Asia Pacific Report of 27 October 2021 under the title: Dementia tsunami by 2050 'likely to hit Pasifika, Māori, Asian communities'. 

Stroke and Stroke Riskometer

• 18 August 2023 Valery Feigin was interviewed by Dr Barb Anderson for a podcast for the Otago Branch of the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences. Talking about with Dr Barb Anderson | Bonus Extra
• 4 June 2022. Valery Feigin was interviewed by The Listener: Risky business: Most apps that promise to help prevent strokes give a false sense of security.
• 26 April 2022: Valery Feigin was interviewed on Radio NZ (Nine to Noon): Where digital tools for stroke prevention fail to make the grade.
• 27 April 2022: Valery Feigin was interviewed by eHealth News: Stroke apps fail to meet basic criteria.
• 17 September 2021: Valery Feigin was interviewed in  Healio online journal "Number of stroke, related deaths increased significantly in past 3 decades".
• 11 May 2021: Rita Krishnamurthi was interviewed by radio New Zealand as part of the Pacific language week series. It related to a  new video series in Pacific languages aiming to bust health myths surrounding stroke. The first of the nine-episode series was launched at AUT on 11 May as part of Rotuman Language Week.
• 9 December 2020: Valery Feigin was interviewed by the NZ Herald: AUT professor's app could help prevent hundreds of strokes, study shows
• 16 October 2020: Valery Feigin was interviewed by Radio New Zealand: New Zealanders among the most at risk of strokes.
• 15 October 2020: Valery Feigin was interviewed by the NZ Herald: New Zealanders living longer but spending more years in poor health.  
• 2 October 2020: Valery Feigin was interviewed by the World Federation of Neurology on the burden of neurological disorders. This interview was based on the Valery's recent presentation at the United Nations General Assembly.
• 3 September 2020: Rita Krishnamurthi's research was profiled in Scoop: Only 1.5 percent of people identify stroke as a major cause of death.
• 3 September 2020: Rita Krishnamurthi interviewed by The Conversation: Most New Zealanders don't know how deadly strokes are – claiming 2,300 lives a year and rising.
• 3 September 2020: Rita Krishnamurthi interviewed by Radio NZ: Better education on strokes needed in NZ Pacific communities.
• 31 August 2020, Valery Feigin interviewed by NZ Medical Doctor regarding the prevention wake-up call to governments.
• 22 August 2020: World Stroke Organization and World Heart Federation issue a 'Prevention wake-up Call' to governments.
• 29 May 2020: World Stroke Organization issues a press release: Global stroke leaders launch radical stroke and dementia prevention strategy.