Elena is a PhD student at the University of Melbourne and her research focuses on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). She currently works within the Baker Institute's Cardiometabolic Health and Exercise Physiology on a clinical trial using upright and supine cardiopulmonary exercise tests to observe the differences in haemodynamics, metabolism and genetics in ME/CFS patients with and without POTS.

Elena completed her bachelor’s degree in Science with a major in physiology at The University of Melbourne and went on to do her Honours degree at The University of Melbourne where her research focused on orthostatic hypotension in older adults at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. She is especially interested in cerebral blood flow in patients with ME/CFS and POTS and utilises cerebrovascular doppler ultrasound scans and near-infrared spectroscopy during exercise to observe the fluctuations in cerebral blood flow which occur before, during and after exercise. In addition, she is also interested in the way the body responds during the recovery period following the exercise in these patients and how post exertional malaise severity is related to the differences in body position during exertion. She collaborates with the Gooley/Armstrong laboratory at Bio21 Institute within The University of Melbourne, where she utilises metabolomics and proteomics on blood and urine samples taken before and after exercise to find potential biomarkers of ME/CFS and POTS. The goal of her research is to be able to further understand the underlying cause of ME/CFS and POTS and to be able to improve diagnostic accuracy which may lead to future treatment options for patients.