Highlighting the talent and expertise at Royal North Shore Hospital and the Kolling Institute, a group of clinicians took out a collection of coveted awards at the Cardiac Society (CSANZ) scientific meeting.
The most prestigious research award for young investigators across Australia and New Zealand was awarded to cardiologist Dr Karan Rao.
He was presented with the Clinical Ralph Reader Prize for his valuable study of 200 TAVI patients, which used an implantable loop‑recorder to guide post‑procedural care and risk classification.
Dr Hari Sritharan received the Heart Failure Prize for PREDICT‑TAVI, a machine‑learning model that improves individualised mortality prediction after TAVI.
Dr Jonathan Ciofani was named Editorial Fellow of the Year for his leadership at Heart, Lung and Circulation, and Dr Neila Litkouhi won Best Research Poster for the DAY‑STAY TAVI study demonstrating the feasibility and safety of same‑day discharge for selected low‑risk patients after TAVI.
Head of Cardiology at Royal North Shore Hospital Professor Ravinay Bhindi said it was encouraging to see the focus on this group of emerging research leaders.
“As their research supervisor, I felt immense pride watching Karan, Hari, Jonathan and Neila receive well‑deserved recognition for their relentless dedication to cardiovascular research,” he said.
“Their work blends rigorous data collection, machine-learning analytics as well as practical innovation. It is already reshaping clinical practice and promises to drive even greater advances in patient care.”