What is PACE?
Place-based Access to Cardiovascular Equity (PACE) is a pioneering five-year cardiovascular and heart health research programme focused on reducing health inequalities and improving equitable access to healthcare across Northern Ireland.
Bringing together more than 30 experts in cardiovascular health, public health, nursing, medicine, engineering, and digital innovation, PACE aims to address disparities in healthcare access and improve long-term health outcomes for people who are often underserved or excluded from traditional healthcare services.
The consortium will investigate and tackle the barriers that prevent individuals and communities from accessing timely screening, diagnosis, treatment and ongoing support for cardiovascular conditions and risk factors, including high blood pressure (hypertension) and high cholesterol (dyslipidaemia). Through innovative research, community engagement and evidence-based interventions, PACE will support cardiovascular disease prevention, advance healthcare equity and help create more accessible, effective and person-centred models of care.
Why Cardiovascular Health Equity Matters
Cardiovascular disease remains one of the leading causes of illness and death in the UK. Many people experience barriers to accessing diagnosis, treatment and ongoing support. PACE aims to identify and remove these barriers so that more people can receive timely care and achieve better health outcomes.
How PACE will Improve Access to Cardiovascular Care
PACE will work across communities throughout Northern Ireland to:
- Improve early identification of cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension and dyslipidaemia.
- Increase access to evidence-based treatments and preventative healthcare services.
- Strengthen long-term support for people managing cardiovascular conditions.
- Develop innovative care models using both digital and non-digital approaches.
- Reduce health inequalities experienced by underserved and underrepresented populations.
- Inform NHS policy and practice through robust research and real-world evidence.
Supporting Communities Across Northern Ireland
At the heart of PACE consortium is a commitment to working directly with communities to understand their needs and develop solutions that make a genuine difference.
Members will focus on supporting groups that often face greater barriers to healthcare, including:
- People living in areas of socioeconomic deprivation
- Women
- Older adults
- Ethnic minority communities
- Individuals who experience challenges accessing traditional healthcare services
Through community-based research, local engagement activities and partnerships with organisations across the UK, PACE will help ensure that cardiovascular care is more equitable, accessible and effective.
Project Team
PACE brings together experts is cardiovascular health and digital healthcare from the fields of nursing, medicine, computing, and engineering.
Professor Loreena Hill
Professor of Nursing Research and Impact
Professor Raymond Bond
Professor of Human Computer Systems
Professor Frank Casey
Clinical Professor of Paediatric Cardiology
Professor James McLaughlin
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Supported by CDHT
The Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology (CDHT) at Ulster University brings together expertise across healthcare, research, technology and innovation to develop and support new approaches to healthcare delivery.
Through its connection with PACE, CDHT will contribute to the programme’s focus on digital innovation, helping to explore how technology can improve access to cardiovascular care while ensuring that new solutions are inclusive, equitable and responsive to the needs of different communities.
