Our Researchers

Your support powers our researchers to explore new medical breakthroughs in heart disease.

Professor Gemma Figtree

MB BS, DPhil (Oxon), FRACP, FCSANZ, FAHA Interventional Cardiologist, Royal North Shore Hospital and Professor (Medicine), University of Sydney

Prof Gemma Figtree is committed to improving the care for heart attack patients, using her knowledge of redox signalling to develop methods of identifying those at highest risk of adverse outcomes, and discovering novel therapies, inspired by her clinical work as an interventional cardiologist at Royal North Shore Hospital.

Professor Helge Rasmussen

MD DMSc FRACP Chair of Cardiology, University of Sydney Department of Cardiology, Royal North Shore Hospital

Professor 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 learning how heart cells work, which has led to discoveries that could mean better treatment for heart failure and other forms of cardiovascular disease.

Professor Ravinay Bhindi

PhD, MBBS, Interventional Cardiologist and the Head of Cardiology at Royal North Shore Hospital

Professor Bhindi is currently researching the effectiveness of extended cardiac rhythm monitoring after TAVI to detect and prevent delayed heart block, thereby improving patient outcomes and reducing hospital readmissions.

Professor Geoffrey Tofler

MBBS MB FRACP FACC, Professor of Preventative Cardiology, University of Sydney, Staff Specialist in Cardiology at Royal North Shore Hospital, Chair of Preventative Cardiology for Heart Research Australia

Professor Geoffrey Tofler has over 20 years’ experience as a clinical consultant cardiologist, including 13 years at Harvard Medical School Hospital in Boston.

Dr Eveline Staub

MD, Mmed (Clin Epi), FRACP, PhD candidate Uni Sydney

Dr Eveline Staub is a specialist in general paediatrics, neonatology and paediatric intensive care. Dr Staub is currently a consultant neonatologist at Royal North Shore Hospital, NSW, focusing on clinical work with patients and families, researching the development of kidneys after preterm birth and the long-term consequences on blood pressure and renal health.

Dr Carmine Gentile

B.Sc./M.Sc Pharm.D. Ph.D,  

Dr Gentile’s work focuses on cardiovascular regeneration and tissue engineering for heart attack. Dr Carmine’s current research involves working closely with cardiologists and cardiac surgeons to identify the best way to provide 3D bio-printed heart tissue for a patient who has suffered a heart attack.

Dr Avedis Ekmejian

MBBS MSc FRACP  

Dr Avedis Ekmejian’s research is looking at the mechanisms which could cause varying results between FFR and iFR, and how these differences can be interpreted. He will also look at the makeup and geometry of the plaque itself using intra-vascular imaging (OCT). He will look at whether increased irregularity and surface roughness within the lesion or plaque itself is accounting for these differences.

Professor Martin Kluckow

MBBS FRACP CCPU Professor of Neonatology, Northern Clinical School

Professor Kluckow and his team develop and conduct new clinical studies in their quest to understand the problems with heart function in premature and sick infants receiving intensive care at Royal North Shore Hospital and in several collaborating hospitals around Australia.

Dr Chia-Chi Liu

BSc (Hons) MSc (Biochem) MSc (BioTech) PhD Senior Research Fellow, University of Sydney

Dr Liu’s goal is to develop a simple urine test that can detect preeclampsia in pregnant women early.

Dr Hari Prakash Sritharan

MD, Cardiology Advanced Trainee at Royal North Shore Hospital; full-time PhD candidate at the University of Sydney

Dr Hari Sritharan is leveraging AI and Machine learning to improve clinical decision making and patient care

Dr Owen Tang

B.Sc (Hons), PhD

Dr Tang is the Laboratory Manager as part of Gemma Figtree’s team. His research focuses on coronary artery disease and the differences between humans and chimpanzees in their susceptibility.

Dr Daniel Brieger

MBBS (Hons), FRACP

Dr Brieger’s research investigates how genes, proteins and immune cells interact to either contribute to or protect against the development of cardiovascular disease.

Mai Duong is a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney, specialising in Medicine. She holds a Master of Philosophy in Pharmacy from the University of Sydney and a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Toronto. Mai has extensive experience in pharmacy practice, research, and education, having worked as a pharmacist, lecturer,

Lynne is trying to develop and test an online resource to assist patients in recognising their personal heart attack triggers and help them take preventive steps during future high-risk periods.

Dr Ashleigh Dind

MBBS (Hons I), FRACP

Dr Ashleigh Dind’s latest research is focused on better understanding the differences between myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and myocardial infarction (commonly known as heart attack).

Professor Martin Ugander

MD, PhD, FCSANZ Professor of Cardiac Imaging, University of Sydney, and Department of Cardiology, Royal North Shore Hospital

Professor Ugander has a research interest in non-invasive cardiac imaging in general and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in particular, with a focus on the diagnoses ischemic heart disease, myocarditis, and heart failure, as well as basic cardiac pumping physiology.

Dr Usaid Allahwala

MBBS (Hons I) | BSc(Med)Hons (Hons) | FRACP (Cardiology) | FCSANZ | Phd (Usyd Candidate)

Dr Allahwala has a keen interest in coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, heart failure management and arrhythmias. He has a strong background in research having published more than 30 peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters. 

Angus Fung

   

Angus Fung is researching existing body size metrics to establish a definitive metric for the indexation of cardiac output, heart rate and stroke volumes, and empirically determining a cut-off value for these measures utilising The National Echo Database Australia, the largest database of its type in the world.