Foundation funded researcher and cardiologist Professor Helge Rasmussen has been awarded the 2011 R T Hall Prize, the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand's most prestigious research award.

Professor Rasmussen has received the Prize for his outstanding contribution to both basic science and interventional fields of cardiovascular science.

"We are extremely pleased to make this award to Professor Rasmussen for his major contribution to cardiology which has changed the way we practice," said the Society's President, Dr James Cameron, "His work is exceptional, and we warmly congratulate him".

Professor Rasmussen's basic science research has led to paradigm shifts in the understanding of the sodium pump (a crucial molecule in heart cells). His clinical work in the cardiac catheter laboratory (where heart attack patients are treated) has led to a change of practice for patients with heart attack.

"We congratulate Professor Rasmussen on this incredible achievement and are proud to see the tangible difference the Foundation's support is making for the community," said Foundation Chairman Ray Knight.