In the early 1980s a group of Royal North Shore Hospital cardiologists (Dr Gaston Bauer, Dr John Gunning AM and Professor Stephen Hunyor) started bouncing around ideas about the need to reduce the concerning death rate from heart disease.

Together with lawyer John Holman, cardiac patient the late John Marks, and a $25,000 donation from National Australia Bank, they shaped these thoughts into what was considered an unconventional concept at the time, and in 1986 established the Foundation to raise money for heart research and transform the Department of Cardiology into a centre of research excellence.

25 years later, this vision has come true and represents a milestone for the Australian community. The Foundation is proud to have invested over $20 million in heart research, with almost $2 million committed each year to new research grants, an amount that has been steadily growing thanks to the generosity of our supporters.

Over the years what we fund has expanded from research projects to also include PhD scholarships, two academic Chairs of Cardiology in association with the University of Sydney, specialist and support staff, research equipment and cardiac rehabilitation programs.

Through our work we have contributed to worldwide standards in cardiac care; to cutting-edge and out-of-the-square thinking in the management of heart disease; and to the Cardiology Department at Royal North Shore Hospital being able to attract the best and brightest clinicians and researchers from around the world. For the Australian community this translates into better health care and subsequently eases pressure on hospitals.

And all of this has been achieved entirely through the generosity of the community in the form of donations, grants from Trusts and Foundations, bequests, corporate support, and in-kind gifts and services.