For Kegan Moneghetti, exercising is in his blood. It seems only natural, then, that his love of exercise has spilled over into his work as a cardiologist. Learn more about Kegan and his fascinating work in this month’s edition of Fast Five.
What does your research involve?
I have always had a passion for exercise and during my training as a cardiologist became fascinated in how powerful it can be to identify and treat disease. My research involves harnessing exercise to better diagnose, prognosticate and treat a variety of diseases. Exercise is embedded in my research. We are currently working on a study using exercise early in the rehabilitation process to improve outcomes for patients who have recently had a heart attack.
If you could find the solution to any one problem, what would it be and why?
Personalised recommendations for exercise training. The way that each individual responds to exercise is very different, yet we do not have a clear understanding why. If we had a single test that could predict an individual’s response, we would be able to personalise exercise recommendation. This would help people get the most health benefits from exercise in a society that is time poor and resources are finite.
What is an interesting/surprising finding that you have come across in the course of your work?
During my post-doctoral fellowship, we assessed the molecular pathways that change with a bout of exercise. During our preliminary analysis, we found that a combination of molecules measured from a drop of blood at rest could predict someone’s exercise capacity, with a high degree of certainty; before they even got on the treadmill!
If you were invited to present your work anywhere in the world, where would you hope it was, and why?
Institute of Sports Medicine, Rome, which has produced some of the seminal papers in sports cardiology and screening of athletes for sudden cardiac death. It would also encourage me to learn Italian, which despite my last name, is not very good.
Can you tell us something about you that many of us may not know?
I am an avid hiker and trail runner, from the forest floor of the Otways to making it to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro; any excuse to get me off the grid and into nature.
