Passionate about first aid and helping in emergencies, Rachel became a first aid instructor in her early 20’s which quickly led to a desire to work on frontline. Joining Wellington Free Ambulance (WFA) in 2013 Rachel has worked a variety of roles including Event Medic, Patient Transfer Officer, Heartbeat tutor and Emergency Medical Technician on frontline. Rachel now manages The Lloyd Morrison Foundation Heartbeat Programme at Wellington Free Ambulance. This programme focuses on teaching members of the public life-saving CPR skills and how to use an AED. Rachel leads a team of paramedics (who teach on their days off), attending schools, businesses, sport, and community groups facilitating the 90-minute Heartbeat session. Paramedic students also join the team with CPR training at public community events. The programme has developed rapidly within the past three years. Last year alone almost 10,000 individuals were trained in CPR. The programme also installs and maintains nearly 600 public community AEDs, available 24/7 across the Greater Wellington and Wairarapa region, making it one of the safest heart cities in the world.

Miriam Norman is a senior Cardiac Physiologist at the Royal Hobart Hospital, Australia, specialising in cardiac implantable electronic devices and echocardiography. She is a former Chair of Professionals in Cardiac Sciences Australia (PiCSA) and currently serves on the CSANZ Heart Rhythm Council and Allied Health Science and Technology Council. Miriam is a strong advocate for the recognition, regulation, and education of the cardiac physiology workforce.

Dr Susie Cartledge is a Senior Research Fellow at Monash University and a Clinical Nurse Consultant at Alfred Health in Melbourne. Susie has used her experience in cardiac nursing to research ways to support patients and families with secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Her research focuses on patient/family education, the transition of inpatient to outpatient care, cardiac rehabilitation, health literacy and digital health. Susie is passionate about implementing findings into clinical practice and leverages her clinical work and training in implementation science to achieve this