In the early 1980s a group of Royal North Shore Hospital cardiologists (Dr Gaston Bauer AM, Dr John Gunning AM and Professor Stephen Hunyor) recognised the growing need for a Foundation to be established that would support the first-stages of research aimed at reducing the alarmingly high death rates due to heart disease.
Together with lawyer John Holman, cardiac patient the late John Marks, and a $25,000 donation from National Australia Bank, they established the North Shore Heart Research Foundation in 1986, to help raise funds to support ‘out of the notebook’ research that may never progress to clinical trials.
In 2012, the North Shore Heart Research Foundation went national and became Heart Research Australia.
Over the years our funding 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.
All this would not have been possible without our growing family of supporters who have continued to give so generously over the years, and those who have looked ahead to the future of Heart Research Australia by leaving a bequest in their Will to help our researchers fight heart disease.
Sadly, heart disease remains the world’s leading cause of death and the largest killer of Australians by far.
Heart Research Australia is dedicated to reducing these appalling statistics and prevent others from experiencing the trauma of losing a loved one through heart disease.