Ben Cailes is a Cardiologist and PhD fellow through the Austin Hospital in Melbourne and the University of Melbourne. He is a current recipient of both National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and National Heart Foundation (NHF) post-graduate scholarships. He has previously received the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) Trainee Research Award for Excellence in 2019 and was runner-up in the CSANZ Imaging Prize in 2023 as well as the American Heart Association (AHA) Melvin Judkin’s Prize Early Career Clinical Investigator Award. Ben’s PhD is exploring cirrhotic cardiomyopathy in patients with end-stage liver failure, with a focus on improving the diagnostic criteria for this poorly-defined condition and assessing novel non-invasive investigations that can be used to minimise cardiac perioperative risk in this vulnerable patient group.

Dr. Rao is an interventional cardiology fellow that has recently submitted his PhD work on optimising outcomes after TAVI. His clinical and research interests include valvular heart disease and coronary artery disease.

Dr. Segan is a Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, with a special interest in atrial fibrillation (AF) management. She has undertaken a PhD focusing on rhythm control strategies for patients with AF and left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD). As part of her research, Dr. Segan played a central role in coordinating two landmark randomized controlled trials— the CAMERA-MRI II and WITHDRAW-AF studies —both designed to explore innovative therapeutic approaches to improve clinical outcomes in unique AF populations. Her work has contributed to a growing body of evidence supporting the role of catheter ablation in heart failure and arrhythmia management. Dr. Segan remains actively involved in clinical research, medical education and mentoring with a commitment to bridging the gap between evidence-based medicine and real-world patient care.

Professor Clara Chow is Academic Director of the Westmead Applied Research Centre (WARC), Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney. She is a cardiologist and Clinical Lead of Community Based Cardiac Services at Westmead hospital. She was appointed to the Board of the National Heart Foundation in 2024 and is also a member of the Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) Governing Board, Sydney, Australia. Professor Chow is Director of the Australian Stroke and Heart Accelerator (ASHRA). Her recent award highlights include being a finalist for the NSW Premier’s Woman of the Year - Woman of Excellence Category - in 2024 and 2020 respectively, receiving a Research Australia Digital Health Technology – Highly Commended Award, becoming an Honour of Australia recipient as well as a Fellow of the AAHMS in 2023 and being honoured with a Telstra Health - Brilliant Woman in Digital Health Award in 2022. She holds an honorary appointment as the Charles Perkins Centre Westmead Academic Co-director and is past (first female) President of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. Professor Chow’s research focuses on the prevention of cardiovascular disease, innovation in the delivery of cardiovascular care and the evaluation of digital health interventions. She has expertise in the design, delivery and implementation of clinical trials. Her PhD from the University of Sydney, Australia was in cardiovascular epidemiology and international public Health and her Postdoc from McMaster University, Canada in clinical trials and cardiac imaging. She has over 300 publications including papers in internationally leading medical journals NEJM, JAMA and Lancet. She is supported by an NHMRC Investigator grant.