Gemma Figtree is a Professor in Medicine at the University of Sydney. She co-leads the Cardiovascular Theme for Sydney Health Partners, a NHMRC Advanced Health Research and Translation Centre and is the Chair of the University of Sydney’s multi-disciplinary Cardiovascular Initiative.
Gemma completed her DPhil at Oxford University in 2002 supported by a Rhodes Scholarship making fundamental discoveries regarding estrogen’s actions and factors regulating NO/redox balance in the cardiovascular system. She is committed to improving the care for heart attack patients- using her knowledge of molecular and cellular biology to develop methods of identifying those at highest risk of adverse outcome, and discovering novel therapies to prevent and treat events, inspired by her clinical work as an interventional cardiologist.
Gemma has dedicated herself throughout her career to unravelling key mechanisms underlying susceptibility and response to heart attack, with studies extending from the bench to large cohort studies and clinical trials.
Discoveries in her Laboratory have been published in leading journals including The Lancet (x2 in 2021); Circulation (x6); European Heart Journal, with ~9250 citations. Gemma has >190 publications which reflect translation of research from molecular discoveries to the clinic and are driven by the patients she cares for as an interventional cardiologist, with ~60% are as 1st or senior author.
Gemma was recently awarded a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Excellence Award for Top Ranked Practitioner Fellow (Australia), commencing in 2018. In 2019 she received the prestigious NSW Ministerial Award for Cardiovascular Research Excellence and also in 2020.
Heart Research Australia is so proud to have provided early phase research support to Professor Gemma Figtree and the discoveries she has found from this initial funding inspires us every day.
To read more about the research Heart Research Australia is funding click here.