Home » Our work » Researchers

Researchers

Enlarge font
LargeSmall

Heart Research Australia funds the following researchers:

 

Dr Edward Barin

MBBS (USyd) MMed (USyd) FRACP FCSANZ  

Dr Edward Barin

Director

Cardiac Rhythm Management Unit

Department of Cardiology

Royal North Shore Hospital 

 

Edward Barin is a Senior Cardiologist at Royal North Shore Hospital, where he directs the pacemaker and implanted devices clinic.

 

The Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) Research Unit has a specialty interest in remote monitoring of devices used to treat heart rhythm disorders. International clinical trials are under way to determine the best and safest ways of using the internet to remotely monitor patients with devices. The team is also developing spectral analysis of the electrocardiogram (ESG - the ElectrospectroGram) to provide new insights into electromechanical function of the heart by using non-linear dynamics.


Read about Dr Barin's research

 

Back to top ↑


Dr Levi Bassin

Levi Bassin

BSc (Comp Sci) MBBS (Hons)
PhD Candidate, University of Sydney
Cardiac Technology Centre
Royal North Shore Hospital

 
Levi Bassin is a surgical trainee with a background in software development. He is currently undertaking a PhD at the Cardiac Technology Centre. His research focus is on the electrophysiological changes that accompany stroke and hypothermia. His clinical research interests include outcomes in aortic and paediatric cardiac surgery.

 

Read about Dr Bassin's research

 

Back to top ↑


Dr Ravinay Bhindi

Associate Professor Ravinay Bhindi

MBBS PhD FRACP FESC

Senior Lecturer, University of Sydney

Department of Cardiology

Royal North Shore Hospital

 

Ravinay Bhindi completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Oxford University, after which he became a Clinical Senior Lecturer in medicine at the University of Sydney.

 

In 2008 he joined Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital as an interventional cardiologist. His research aims to identify the cause of veins becoming blocked several years after bypass surgery. The results could lead to preventative treatment, which would increase patients' life expectancy and reduce the risks of repeat surgery.

 

Read about this research

 

How does Associate Professor Bhindi do his research?

Interview with Associate Professor Bhindi

 

Back to top ↑


Dr Thomas Buckley

Dr Thomas Buckley

RN BSc (Hons) MN PhD

Senior Lecturer

Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery

University of Sydney

 

Tom Buckley is a senior lecturer and researcher at the University of Sydney, and an experienced cardiology and intensive care nurse.

 

He completed his PhD study with the Department of Cardiology at Royal North Shore Hospital and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in 2008. The focus was on evaluating cardiovascular risk in early bereavement.

 

Collaborating with researchers at Royal North Shore, the Northern Blood Research Centre and UTS, he continues to pursue his interest in the links between emotional stress and cardiovascular risk.

 

Read about Dr Buckley's research

 

Back to top ↑


Associate Professor Gordon Doig

Associate Professor Gordon Doig

Northern Clinical School

Intensive Care Research Unit

University of Sydney


A/Prof Gordon S. Doig completed his Research Fellowship in Critical Care Medicine in 1996 and his PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics in 1999. He received the US Society of Critical Care Medicine's In-Training Fellow Award for his work in sepsis in 1996 and was awarded the Foundation Visitor's Medal from the Australian and New Zealand Faculty of Intensive Care in 1998 for his contributions to evidence-based critical care.

 

In 1999 he was invited to China as a Short Term Consultant for the World Health Organisation and in 2000, he was invited to be the Year 2000 Royal Perth Hospital Visiting Professor of Medicine. In 2001 he was recruited from Canada to the Royal North Shore Hospital.

 

Since arriving in Sydney in 2001, he has established a highly respected research program in nutrition in critical illness (www.EvidenceBased.net/Research). As the lead Chief Investigator, he currently manages in excess of $4 million in Project Grant funding from the NHMRC. Gordon has been a Chief Investigator on more than 50 grants totaling over $32 million dollars leading to more than 150 publications.

 

Back to top ↑


Associate Professor Gemma Figtree

MBBS (Hons 1) DPhil (Oxon) FCSANZ

Dr Gemma Figtree

 

Staff Specialist, Cardiology

Royal North Shore Hospital

Senior Lecturer, University of Sydney

 

Gemma Figtree is as a cardiologist who is committed to both basic and translational cardiovascular research.  She gained a DPhil in Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Oxford, with the support of a Rhodes Scholarship. She holds the Chapman Fellowship at Sydney Medical School and has recently been awarded the Viertel Clinical Investigatorship.

 

With experience in molecular biology, Gemma is working with Professor Helge Rasmussen at Royal North Shore Hospital. The focus of this research is the role of oxidative signalling in the regulation of the sodium pump in heart cells. She is also interested in the molecular mechanisms of myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury and works closely with Dr Ravi Bhindi in this area.

 

Gemma leads a project to set up a cardiac MRI research unit at Royal North Shore Hospital. She is a principal investigator investigating possible genetic contributors to tako-tsubo (stress) cardiomyopathy.  She is principal investigator on two current National Health and Medical Research Council project grants.  She has strong collaborative links with researchers in Oxford, London, Denmark and Boston.

 

Read about Dr Figtree's research:

The sodium pump and heart failure treatment

Cardiac MRI unit

 

Back to top ↑


Professor Stephen Hunyor

Professor Stephen Hunyor

MD (USyd) MBBS MTM (Griff) FRACP FACC 

Professor of Medicine, University of Sydney

Director, Cardiac Technology Centre

Royal North Shore Hospital

 

Stephen Hunyor is a cardiologist with particular expertise in hemodynamics, cardiac mechanics and whole-heart energetics in sheep models. His current research focus is on heart damage and repair.

 

As Director of the Cardiac Technology Centre he leads a team of nine scientists who are investigating the use of stem cells as a way to renew damaged heart muscle. 

 

Read about Professor Hunyor's research

 

Back to top ↑


Dr Keyvan Karimi Galougahi

Dr Keyvan Karimi Galougahi

MD MRCP
PhD Candidate, University of Sydney
Heart Research Group
Royal North Shore Hospital


Keyvan Karimi Galougahi is an advanced trainee in medicine with an interest in cardiology at Royal North Shore Hospital. Prior to this Keyvan did his postgraduate training in medicine in the UK and obtained the Membership of Royal College of Physicians of London.


He is currently undertaking his PhD with the Heart Research Group at Royal North Shore Hospital. The focus of his research is the role of oxidative signalling in the regulation of the sodium pump in heart cells in chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart failure.

 

Read more about Dr Galougahi's research

 

Back to top ↑


Associate Professor Martin Kluckow
Associate Professor Martin Kluckow

MBBS FRACP PhD 

University of Sydney 

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Royal North Shore Hospital 

 

Martin Kluckow is a neonatologist at Royal North Shore Hospital, where he regularly uses and teaches echocardiography and cranial ultrasound. Since 1990 he has been researching ways to improve heart function in premature babies. He and his team are currently undertaking a clinical trial to determine the best way to manage patent ductus arteriosus, a serious heart problem in preterm babies.

 

Read about Professor Kluckow's research

 

Back to top ↑


Dr Rebecca Kozor

Dr Rebecca Kozor

MBBS 

MPhil Candidate, University Sydney

Royal North Shore Hospital

 

Rebecca Kozor is a cardiology advanced trainee and is currently undertaking a part-time research masters degree.

 

Her research focuses on cardiovascular magnetic resonance as an imaging tool to detect certain cardiovascular conditions. 

 

 

Back to top ↑


Dr Chia-Chi Liu

Dr Chia-Chi Liu

BSc (Hons) MSc (Biochem) MSc (BioTech) PhD

Senior Postdoctoral Scientist

North Shore Heart Research Group

University of Sydney

 

Chia-Chi Liu is a senior cardiac researcher at the University of Sydney, and is based at North Shore Heart Research Group at Royal North Shore Hospital. She completed her PhD in chemistry and bio-molecular science at Macquarie University in 2007 and was appointed a post-doctorate research fellow in 2008.

 

Dr Liu is using her extensive research expertise and knowledge to investigate the relationship between oxidative stress and the sodium pump function in the heart muscle and erythrocytes in animal models and human. She also focuses on development of new diagnostic methods of oxidative damage of the pump and discovery of new drugs for heart disease. This offers promise of successful prevention and potential treatment of cardiovascular diseases.


Read more about Dr Liu's research

2011 publications and conferences

 

Back to top ↑


Brad McEwen

MHlthSc (Hum. Nutr.), Grad. Cert. HlthSc (Hum. Nutr.), BHlthSc

Brad McEwen

PhD candidate, University of Sydney
Northern Blood Research Centre
Royal North Shore Hospital

 

Brad McEwen is a nutritionist with over 10 years experience along with several qualifications in health science and nutrition. His research focus is on the effects of diet and nutrition on cardiovascular risk. In the area of prevention of heart disease, he is investigating the potential role of omega-3 (for example, found in fish oil) in the prevention of major vascular disease.

 

Read about Brad's research

 

Back to top ↑


Dr Gregory Nelson

Dr Gregory Nelson

MBBS FRACP FCSANZ   

Director of Interventional Cardiology

Royal North Shore Hospital

 

Gregory Nelson has been practising as a consultant cardiologist for over 20 years. He has a strong interest in interventional cardiology, and led the pilot study on emergency triage in acute myocardial infarction (ETAMI). He has co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed articles, many of which have been recognised internationally.

 

Together with Professor Helge Rasmussen, Dr Nelson was responsible for developing a program at Royal North Shore which saw mortality rates from heart attack drop to a world-beating 2%

 

Read about ETAMI /SALAMI

 

Back to top ↑   


Professor Helge Rasmussen

Professor Helge Rasmussen

MD DMSc FRACP 

Chair of Cardiology, University of Sydney

Department of Cardiology

Royal North Shore Hospital

 

Helge Rasmussen divides his time between working as an interventional cardiologist and leading a team of researchers in molecular and cellular medicine.

 

A particular focus of his research is on learning how heart cells work, which has led to discoveries that could mean better treatment for heart failure and other forms of cardiovascular disease.

 

In 2011, he was awarded the RT Hall Prize, the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand’s most prestigious award, for his outstanding contribution to the field of cardiology.

 

Together with Dr Nelson, Professor Rasmussen was responsible for developing a program at Royal North Shore which saw mortality rates from heart attack drop to a world-beating 2%.

 

Read more about this program

Read about Professor Rasmussen's research

 

Back to top ↑


Dr Ben Rayner

Dr Ben Rayner

B. Biomed. Sci. (Hons) PhD

Ben Rayner is a Research Scientist at the University of Sydney, based at the North Shore Heart Research Group at the Royal North Shore Hospital. He completed his PhD in molecular biochemistry at the University of Sydney in 2010 and has published widely in the area of cardiac and vascular research.

 

Dr Rayner is using his extensive research experience to investigate the molecular mechanisms of remote ischemic preconditioning, able to afford protection against heart attack, utilising an in vivo rat model as well as in vitro cellular models of myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury.

 

Back to top ↑

 


Jason Seow

Jason Seow

Dip Chemical Process Technology (DipCPT)
BSc (Hons) (Developmental biology) (BSc, Hons)
BSc (Biomedical and molecular cell biology) (BSc)
PhD Candidate, University of Sydney
Cardiac Technology Centre

Royal North Shore Hospital

 

Jason Seow brings strong experience in biomedical, developmental and cell biology to the Cardiac Technology Centre, where is he currently undertaking his PhD. Before this, Jason worked at the Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genome Institute of Singapore, on cancer biology and stem cell research.

 

With support from the Foundation, Jason is studying the therapeutic and self repair mechanisms of the damaged heart, using bone marrow and stem cells.

Read about Jason's research

 

Back to top ↑


Professor Geoffrey Tofler
Professor Geoffrey Tofler

MBBS MB FRACP FACC  

Chair of Preventive Cardiology, University of Sydney 

Head, Preventive Cardiology and Epidemiology

Royal North Shore Hospital 


Geoffrey Tofler is Honorary Medical Director of the North Shore Heart Research Foundation. He has 20 years' experience as a clinical consultant cardiologist, including 13 years at Harvard Medical School Hospital in Boston. His expertise is in the prevention of heart disease and management of heart failure. Current research includes triggers for heart attack and the links between bereavement and heart health.

 

Read about Professor Tofler's research:

Triggers for heart attack

Bereavement and heart health

Listen to Professor Tofler's interview with Richard Glover on ABC radio>

 

Back to top ↑

 


Associate Professor Christopher Ward

Associate Professor Christopher Ward

BMedSc MBChB (Otago) PhD (Monash) FRACP FRCPA

Head and Director of Research Department of Haematology and Transfusion Medicine

Royal North Shore Hospital

 

Christopher Ward is a clinical haematologist and researcher with a longstanding interest in coagulation and thrombosis. This process underlies much cardiovascular disease including heart attacks and stroke.

 

After completing a PhD on platelet biochemistry at the Baker Institute, he studied platelet adhesion at the Blood Research Institute in Milwaukee, USA as a postdoctoral fellow. Since 2000, he has supervised scientists, students and clinicians in the Northern Blood Research Centre, studying hypercoagulable states, measuring platelet function and the effect of supplements such as fish oil on the clotting system.

 

He has several longstanding collaborations with cardiac researchers at Royal North Shore Hospital, including the use of stem cells to repair damaged hearts and the impact of depression and bereavement on cardiac risk.


Back to top ↑


Dr Michael Ward
Dr Michael Ward

MBBS (Hons) FRACP PhD DDU FCSANZ

Head, Vascular Biology Laboratory

Royal North Shore Hospital

 

Michael Ward maintains a mix of coronary intervention, clinical research and basic research into the fundamental mechanisms of arterial remodelling. His clinical research interests include tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy, mechanisms of late stent thrombosis, and optimising outcomes in high-risk coronary intervention.


Back to top ↑

Giving HEART to future generations