Dr Ling Zhang is a postdoctoral research fellow funded by the SOLVE‑CHD NHMRC Synergy Grant at the Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, and a practising registered nurse. She brings a multidisciplinary background in education, journalism, and translation to her research. Her work focuses on improving recovery and long‑term outcomes for people living with heart disease by strengthening self‑management, preventing cardiac recurrence, and addressing inequities in care. She is particularly committed to supporting underserved populations, including individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

Dr Julee McDonagh is an RN, an NHMRC Emerging Leader Fellow, and a Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Chronic and Complex Care Research, at the University of Wollongong and Western Sydney LHD. Dr McDonagh’s research program draws upon her clinical expertise in heart failure and coronary care, focusing on the intersection of heart failure, frailty, cardiovascular disease, aging, and multimorbidity. She is the co-lead of the ACvA Frailty and Heart Failure National Taskforce.

Associate Professor Mitchell Sarkies is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow and Sydney Horizon Fellow at the Sydney School of Health Sciences. He co-leads the Sydney Health Partners Implementation Science Academy and undertakes implementation research that translates health and medical innovations into better health outcomes.

Nicole is a Professor in Physiotherapy at the University of Canberra. She has been a practising physiotherapist for 30 years, working in hospital settings and primary health care, mainly in cardiovascular rehabilitation. Nicole has a strong interest in the primary and secondary prevention of chronic disease. Her research focuses on increasing physical activity levels and decreasing sedentary behaviour in adults, both in healthy and cardiovascular disease populations, and physical activity promotion by healthcare workers. Nicole founded and co-chaired the Asia-Pacific Society of Physical Activity Special Interest Group ‘Physical Activity in Healthcare’ and co-led the first Cardiac Society of Australia & New Zealand Position Statement on exercise and physical activity in cardiac rehabilitation.

Jenni is based in Sydney where she is Professor of Physiotherapy at Australian Catholic University and incoming President of the International Council of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (ICCPR). She also serves as Director of Training and Education for the National Institute for Prevention and Cardiovascular Health in Ireland and is a longstanding tutor for the British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation. With more than 30 years’ clinical experience in cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation, Jenni continues to combine clinical practice with teaching and research. She has served as President of both the British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (BACPR) and the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Cardiac Rehabilitation (ACPICR) and was recognised as part of the World Heart Federation Emerging Leaders programme (2017 cohort). Her research focuses on multidisciplinary and integrated models of care, with particular emphasis on preventive medicine, cardiovascular health and interconnected chronic conditions, behavioural risk-factor modification, digital health innovation and international approaches to improving cardiovascular outcomes. Alongside this work, she holds leadership roles in curriculum development and workforce education through international collaborative programmes, interprofessional curriculum initiatives and accreditation activities, including contributions to cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation curricula with the European Society of Cardiology. Jenni is passionate about co-producing research, education and service innovation, embedding lived experience into healthcare design and global policy to ensure evidence translates into equitable, person-centred practice.

Mr Zecchin is the Nursing Unit Manager – Cardiac Rehabilitation for Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD), and an Adjunct Senior Lecturer, School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney. He is a clinician-researcher and has been a collaborator on many multidisciplinary research projects. He has published 3 book chapters and > 30 peer-reviewed journal papers in leading cardiology and nursing journals including Lancet, European Heart Journal, European Journal of Preventative Cardiology, Australian Nursing Journal, American Journal of Cardiology, Circulation-Arrhythmia Electrophysiology, Heart, Lung and Circulation, Heart and Lung, Trials and Journal of Women’s Health. He has presented his research regularly and is invited to present his work at prestigious international and national conferences including the American Heart Association, the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ) and the Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association (ACRA). He is the President of ACRA (NSW/ACT). His expertise in the field of cardiac rehabilitation is recognised in Australia by being awarded the ACRA Alan Goble Distinguished Service Award in 2021. He has also contributed to the development of CSANZ standards for exercise stress testing nationally. He is a member of the National Cardiac Rehabilitation Measurement Taskforce and Chair of the NSW CR Data Working Group.

Julie Redfern is a Professor of Public Health, a practising Physiotherapist and Director of the Institute for Evidence-Based Healthcare at Bond University. She has published over 300 manuscripts and 4 book chapters. She has > 15 years of experience delivering multidisciplinary and translational research and is an advocate for effective secondary prevention of CVD. Her research interest is focused on improving practice, reducing risk factors and implementing digital health innovation. Professor Redfern currently holds an NHMRC Investigator Grant (L2) and is currently CIA on NHMRC Synergy Grant (SOLVE-CHD), MRFF and NSW Health grants. She is Chair of the CSANZ Clinical Trials Council and member of the Scientific Committee. She is also a member of the Board of the World Heart Federation and Chairs the ACvA Science Advisory Committee.

Dr Dion Candelaria is a clinical nurse and a Heart Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at Sydney Nursing School, The University of Sydney. He is the incoming President of the Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association (ACRA). Dion is a Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology.

Andrew Maiorana is a Professor of Clinical Exercise Physiology at the School of Allied Health at Curtin University and Head of Department, Exercise Physiology, at Fiona Stanley Hospital, in Perth, Western Australia. Andrew has wide ranging research interests, from optimising exercise testing and training for patients with cardiovascular disease, to developing innovative approaches to clinical service delivery through remote monitoring and AI. He has a long-standing commitment to working with Aboriginal communities to improve the provision of culturally appropriate health services.