“The lines between it being my hobby, my passion and my job are blurred. I don’t feel like it’s a job in the sense that I wake up and have a job to do today. I feel so privileged to work with my patients and I really feel I have struck gold. It brings me immense joy and satisfaction, as there are so many wonderful aspects to this work.”
Wouldn’t you love to feel this way about your job?
These passionate words are from the wonderful Dr Miranda Say – Heart Research Australia’s Heart Health Club Medical Advisor for Mental Wellness and Clinical Neuropsychologist. Many of you will have felt inspired by hearing Dr Say speak in our recent webinar on ‘Can improving heart health help protect our memory and other thinking abilities as we age?’.
This topic resonated with so many of us and made this our most successful webinar ever. In it we covered the 4M’s (Move, Meals, Measurement and Mental Wellness) role in maintaining our heart and brain health. Dr Say discussed the impact our heart health has on our brain health, and how cardiovascular risk factors impact our cognitive health.
So, we interviewed Dr Say to find out more about her journey to becoming a Clinical Neuropsychologist and what inspires her passion for life and her work.
Dr Say’s resume is impressive. Aside from holding a Doctorate in Neuropsychology, which she completed when working at University College London, she’s also widely published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has co-authored an internationally-renowned cognitive rehabilitation manual. Her research has also won awards both locally and internationally and she works both privately and in the public system.
Yet, what inspired her to get into Neuropsychology?
“Neuropsychology really provides that perfect interface between neurology, science and the human spirit – so it ticked all my boxes. I have a curiosity for life, and I love hearing people’s stories, so the idea of specialising in Neuropsychology – which is the study of conditions that affect the brain and behaviour – really appealed to me. And, as I come from a family of medical professionals and healthcare workers, I’d always been interested in a career in health, especially mental health. My family are very passionate about mental wellbeing, which was always a topic of conversation at the dinner table when I was growing up. So, it seemed like a perfect fit for me!
What is your current area of focus?
When I was doing my Doctorate, I focussed on Huntington’s disease and that was a big game changer for me. This neurodegenerative disease is genetic, and symptoms often start when a patient is in their 30’s or 40’s. Over 15 to 20 years, the disease causes, not only a decline in the patient’s movement and motor functions, it also leads to cognitive and psychiatric changes and, unfortunately, there is currently no cure. But what was apparent from research studies was that the progression of some of the symptoms could potentially be slowed by maintaining healthy lifestyle habits – especially physical exercise. The idea that by maintaining good health and mental wellbeing you can build up the strength of your body and brain to withstand certain conditions, remains a key focus of my work today. It is also why I am passionate about supporting Heart Research Australia because – put very simply – a healthy heart can support a healthy brain.
What does the future hold for you?
If I had thought of my dream job when I was a kid, I’m doing it now. And while I am committed to doing more research, I like to practice what I tell my patients – to enjoy the journey and have gratitude and appreciation for the small everyday things in life. My great loves are spending time with my children, but also taking time to reconnect to myself by walking barefoot in the bush, rock climbing and doing marathons. Professionally, I hope that on a day-to-day basis I continue improving the lives of my patients by empowering them to make tiny changes, decisions and choices every day, that will have a big impact for them in the long term.
We’d like to thank Dr Say for sharing her knowledge and expertise, and for her tireless efforts to fundraise for heart research – we are very appreciative.
Click here to learn more about the topic of Mental Wellness.