Dr. Aung Zaw Zaw Phyo is a Research Fellow at the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Australia. His current research work focuses on a deeper understanding of the biology of ageing, frailty and age-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease. 

Aung completed his MSc (with Distinction) specialization in Epidemiology from the University of Melbourne, Australia, and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. He then obtained his Ph.D. in Epidemiology from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. Through his Ph.D. project, awarded without amendment at Monash University in 2022, Aung demonstrated that a simple self-report measure of how an older individual views their own health, relative to others (called “health-related quality of life”) is a strong predictor of their risk of adverse health events, including cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, and dementia. His Ph.D. work is significant as it highlights the clinical utility of incorporating this measure into routine health screening and has been recognized as such through Editorials by clinicians in international journals. 

His current research integrates longitudinal cohort data, epigenetic ageing biomarkers, functional measures, and intervention studies to identify early markers of vulnerability and potential prevention opportunities. He has also contributed to an epigenome-wide study of a family-based intervention for offspring of trauma-exposed mothers in Kosovo and, as lead investigator, examined the effect of aspirin on grip strength and gait speed in the ASPREE trial. Collectively, his work aims to improve early identification of at-risk older adults and to inform strategies that support healthy and independent ageing.

In 2024-2025, Aung was awarded the competitive Monash Early Career Postdoctoral Fellowship for his work on frailty following cardiovascular disease. His work has produced influential publications, including studies on frailty trajectories and frailty risk after a cardiovascular event among a large cohort of 19,000+ community-dwelling older adults, highlighting the roles of sociodemographic factors, polypharmacy, and pre-event frailty. These findings were accompanied by editorials (Doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf130 and Doi: 10.1016/j.cjca.2025.08.004) underscoring their clinical significance, reflecting the growing impact of his research on understanding vulnerability after CVD and informing strategies to improve post-event care in ageing populations.

In recognition of the quality and excellence of his work, Aung has achieved extensive recognition in his career with many prestigious awards (15+) including the “Young Scientist Research Prize - Second Prize (Biomedical and Health Sciences)” from the Royal Society of Victoria, Australia in 2022, an Outstanding Poster Award from the Gerontological Society of America in 2023, and the GeroScience Outstanding Publication Award (2nd Prize) from the GeroScience and the American Ageing Association in 2025. Further, Aung's work has received media attention and been featured in >30 news stories, including the ASPREE newsletter for clinicians, Aged Care Insite (Australia's number one aged care news), Monash Latest News, 7 News, 9 News, the ABC Ratio, and other media outlets worldwide. Aung is an Editorial Board Member of BMC Psychiatry (impact factor 4.4), and a guest peer reviewer for many journals including Clinical Epidemiology, Age and Ageing, GeroScience, Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) and Translational Psychiatry.