Senior Staff Specialist in Interventional Cardiology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Bioengineering (Conjoint), University of Sydney, Australia Head, Clinical Discipline of Cardiology, Macquarie University Hospital, Sydney, Australia

Jason Kovacic graduated from The University of Melbourne Medical School in 1994, and then undertook residency and cardiology specialty training at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney. Jason then completed a PhD at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, focusing on the application of cell therapy to treat patients with refractory ischemic heart disease. In 2007 Dr. Kovacic relocated to the USA, to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. At the NIH, Jason undertook a 2 year postdoctoral fellowship with the then Director of the NHLBI, Dr. Elizabeth Nabel. In 2009 Jason moved to Mount Sinai in New York. As a physician-scientist and investigator at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Jason established a cardiovascular research laboratory with a strong interest in the cellular, molecular and genetic mechanisms underlying cardiovascular disease. He also established a large clinical practice as an interventional and clinical cardiologist. Major career scientific achievements include successful investigator-initiated clinical studies of cardiovascular progenitor cell therapy, molecular characterization of a novel vascular progenitor cell population, unravelling the pathobiology of fibromuscular dysplasia and spontaneous coronary artery dissection, numerous basic and translational studies on the biology and manifestations of atherosclerosis, and pioneering studies regarding the role of endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndMT) in adult vascular biology and disease. In early 2020 Jason was recruited to return Australia, and to take on the role of the Executive Director of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute. In this role, he leads one of the world’s leading Cardiovascular Research Institutes. Jason has now established his research program at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, where he will continue his focus on cardiac and vascular diseases, including fibromuscular dysplasia and spontaneous coronary artery dissection. Jason currently holds the positions of the Robert M. Graham Professor of Cardiovascular Research at University of New South Wales, and continues his appointment as Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA. Jason has given over 80 US and other international invited presentations, has served on many US NIH committees and panels, and received several awards. In 2018 he received 2 distinct awards – one as a clinician and the other as a scientist - the Cullman Family Award for Excellence in Physician Communication (for ranking in the top 1% nationally in the USA in provider communication by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CGCAHPS patient experience survey), and the 2018 Dean’s Healthcare System Team Science Award at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Fiona Stewart trained in Cardiology at Green Lane Hospital and Obstetric Medicine at National Women's Hospital Auckland. She worked in both services combining her interest in maternal heart disease in pregnancy and heart disease in women and currently works at The Heart Group. She is a member of the CSANZ Women in Cardiology Working Group responsible for addressing gender inequalities in the Cardiology profession and for promoting education and research on issues regarding cardiac health in women.

Muthiah Vaduganathan, MD MPH FACC FHFA is a cardiologist and clinical trialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He is co-director of the Center for Cardiometabolic Implementation Science at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He serves as an Associate Editor of JACC and as US national ambassador to the ESC Heart Failure Association. His research focuses on drug development, clinical trials, and implementation of cardio-kidney-metabolic therapies. He has authored or co-authored more than 850 peer-reviewed publications and is recognized as a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher. He participates on study leadership of ongoing advanced-phase trials in cardio-kidney-metabolism and heart failure.