News Archive

We are very proud to announce the following Australia Day 2023 Honour List Awards to two of our members.

*Prof Clara Chow AM, Immediate Past President, FCSANZ has been awarded a Member of the Order of Australia, (AM) for her significant service to medicine as a cardiologist, and to research.

*Prof Gemma Figtree AM, FCSANZ, also awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her significant service to medicine in the field of cardiology.

View a message of congratulations from CSANZ President, Prof Stephen Nicholls including a brief outline of the fabulous work these two women in cardiology have achieved thus far.

Congratulations to you both!

* citation excepts above taken from the Honour List Awards announcement on www.gg.gov.au/20230126 – Media Notes – AM (A-L)  

Congratulations to CSANZ Chair, Prof Stephen Nicholls for winning the prestigious 2023 Anitschkow Prize of the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS).

The Anitschkow Prize is the most prestigious distinction in atherosclerosis research, named after Nikolai Anitschkow who performed the first foundational study, feeding rabbits a cholesterol rich diet and observing the formation of plaques in the aortic wall.

This award recognises Prof Nicholls’ outstanding contributions to atherosclerosis, cardiometabolic disease and preventive cardiology Including elucidating the factors influencing the functionality of high-density lipoproteins; understanding the factors influencing plaque progression and regression; as well as leadership of clinical trials of novel cardioprotective therapies.

Read more here

Prof Nicholls will receive the Anitschkow Medal and is invited to present the Anitschkow Lecture at the Opening Ceremony of the #EASCongress2023  in Manheim Germany, 21 May 2023.

Congratulations to Prof Julie Redfern on her appointment to the World Heart Federation (WHF) Science Committee.

The Science Committee is the cardiovascular health and policy evidence based advisory committee for the WHF.  They provide strategic input, monitor new developments in cardiovascular science, assist with commissioning, reviewing and recommending appropriate medical and scientific statements and guidelines, position and policy papers, and science agenda of the WHF.

Dr Christopher Yu  at ESC 2022

Dr Christopher Yu, Nepean Clinical School, University of Sydney.

I was fortunate to be awarded the 2022 CSANZ ESC Travel Fellowship. This year, the conference was held in Barcelona, Spain and was the first face to face conference in three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was surreal to find my long-lost passport and get back onto a long-haul flight.

I was excited to present part of my PhD at the conference, with two abstracts accepted as moderated poster presentations. The first abstract was a subgroup analysis of the SUCCOUR study assessing the role of baseline left atrial strain in predicting cardiotoxicity. The second abstract was assessing the role of cardiac magnetic resonance relaxometry in detecting anthracycline related changes compared to left ventricular ejection fraction. The presentations were well received, and it was great to receive feedback from the doyens of cardio-oncology. My PhD is under the supervisor of Professor Kazuaki Negishi, Nepean Clinical School, University of Sydney, to whom I am grateful for his supervision and mentorship.

The conference felt particularly special as the first ever cardio-oncology guidelines were launched by Dr Teresa Lopez-Fernandez and Dr Alex Lyon. The main hall was overflowing with attendees, and it was a highlight to feel the buzz and excitement at the largest cardiology conference in the world. It also demonstrated to me that there is so much work to be done in the field to improve the cardiovascular outcomes of our cancer patients. Other highlights included meeting fellow antipodeans and overindulging Catalan food and wine together.

I am extremely grateful to the CSANZ for supporting me to attend this fantastic conference. It has given me inspiration to expand my network and continue my research in cardio-oncology.

View Chris’s presentation here on ESC365

Dr Julia Isbister at ESC 2022

Dr Julia Isbister, Agnes Ginges Centre for Molecular Cardiology, Centenary Institute and EP fellow at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney.

It was a pleasure to travel to the ESC Congress 2022 in Barcelona with the support of a CSANZ Travelling Fellowship for this exciting and energetic meeting.

I am in my final year of my PhD at the Agnes Ginges Centre for Molecular Cardiology, Centenary Institute and EP fellow at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney. I was delighted to attend an my first in-person international meeting after the long COVID- enforced hiatus! The chance to meet with existing collaborators in person and hear from leaders in the field, particularly in the area of cardiac genetics and EP, was a wonderful experience.

I presented our recent study looking at concealed cardiomyopathy in autopsy- indeterminate sudden cardiac death victims, participated in the CSANZ daily highlights session showcasing work from Australia and New Zealand and gave an invited talk on the role of genetic testing following sudden cardiac death in the combined CSANZ/ESC session “Sudden cardiac death in the young: All you need to know”.

Many thanks to my PhD supervisors, Chris Semsarian and Ray Sy for their guidance and encouragement, and to the CSANZ for the support to attend and present at ESC 2022!

“Concealed cardiomyopathy” is an important cause of autopsy-inconclusive sudden cardiac death and diagnosis impacts care of surviving relatives https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/43/Supplement_2/ehac544.361/6744468