Dr. Kanwar is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago and Director of their Heart Failure and Pulmonary Hypertension program. She currently serves as the Associate Editor for MCS for the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation. With nearly 200 peer-reviewed publications, her area of research focus includes outcomes research in cardiogenic shock, temporary and durable mechanical circulatory support, as well as pulmonary hypertension.

Professor John O'Sullivan is an academic cardiologist and translational scientist whose work defines the cardiometabolic mechanisms of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and their therapeutic targeting. He is the inaugural Professor of Cardiometabolic Medicine at the University of Sydney and directs the HFpEF program at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, where he has developed a dedicated HFpEF bench-to-bedside-to-trials program. He leads the DECODE-HFpEF framework, a translational program applying deep human phenotyping, biobanking, and metabolomics to identify mechanistic pathways linking obesity, inflammation, and myocardial fibrosis. His group has identified cardiometabolic biomarkers and therapeutic targets translating into patented diagnostic technologies, early-phase clinical trials including pEFNAD, CardioNAD, and pEF-EX, and regulatory engagement with the U.S. FDA. He is founder of a clinical-stage spinout developing cardiometabolic diagnostics and contributed to biomarker recommendations in the 2023 Australian cardiovascular risk guidelines. Trained at Harvard University, the Broad Institute, and Massachusetts General Hospital, he maintains active collaborations with leading groups at Harvard, Oxford, and Cambridge. His work contributes to emerging international frameworks positioning HFpEF as a cardiometabolic disorder requiring mechanism-directed therapy.

MD, MSc, MPH, FRCPC, FACC, FESC, FCCS Dr. Virani is Vice-President of Medical and Academic Affairs for the Provincial Health Services Authority in BC, Head of Cardiology at Providence Health Care, Physician Program Director for the Provincial Heart Centre at St. Paul’s Hospital and President of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. He completed his internal medicine and cardiology training at UBC before embarking on a sub-specialization in heart failure and cardiac transplantation at Stanford University. He also has a Masters degree in Public Health from Columbia University with a focus on healthcare management. His professional interests include public policy related to health care delivery with specific reference to healthcare systems redesign and quality in the Canadian context. A key opinion leader for heart failure in Canada, Dr. Virani is Past-President of the Canadian Heart Failure Society and senior Co-Chair of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society’s Heart Failure Guidelines Panel. He also serves as Medical Director for HeartLife Foundation, Canada’s first and only patient-led national heart failure organization.

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 950 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.

Dr Erin Howden (PhD, 2012, University of Queensland) is a Heart Foundation Future Fellow and Group Leader of the Sports Cardiology Lab at the Baker Institute. Erin is an ESSA accredited Exercise Physiologist with extensive experience in conducting clinical exercise training studies focused on evaluating cardiovascular endpoints.

Professor David Kaye is Director of the Department of Cardiology at the Alfred Hospital and a senior member of the Advanced Heart Failure Service. He also leads the Cardiology Research Program at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute. Professor Kaye’s studies have centred around the progressive nature of heart failure and has identified a range of its fundamental contributing mechanisms. To this end his research work has been directed towards the development of improved approaches for the care of heart failure patients.

Professor Anthony (Tony) Keech is Senior Principal Research Fellow and Senior Associate Director at NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre. Tony is Professor of Medicine, Cardiology and Epidemiology at the University of Sydney, an internationally known researcher in the field of cardiovascular clinical trials, and chair and principal investigator of the Fenofibrate Intervention and Event Lowering in Diabetes (FIELD) Study. His research has influenced health outcomes, particularly in treatments of acute myocardial infarction, cardiovascular disease prevention of chronic heart disease, and diabetes and its vascular complications. He is recognised internationally for collaborative research into coronary risk factors, treatments for acute coronary syndromes, prediction of vascular disease, and treatment and diabetes complication prevention. Most of Tony's research has consisted of large national and international projects undertaken in collaboration with many clinical research investigators and drug companies.

Dr Bayat is a consultant cardiologist sub-specialised in advanced heart failure, cardiac transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at The Prince Charles Hospital. She has more than eight years of experience working as a consultant cardiologist and Director of CCU overseas. She is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Queensland. She also leads research in advanced heart failure and is a PhD candidate at The University of Queensland, researching novel strategies for managing patients with heart failure