MEET OUR SPEAKERS
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Professor Alun Jackson
Professor Alun Jackson AM MSc PhD FCSANZ FESC has been Director of the Australian Centre for Heart Health since 2013. He holds appointments as Honorary Professorial Fellow at the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne and Honorary Professor at the Centre on Behavioral Health, University of Hong Kong. In addition to his interest and expertise in psycho-cardiology and cardiac disease secondary prevention, Alun has extensive research experience in the prevention and treatment of behavioural addiction; the management of chronic conditions in adult and paediatric populations; and psychosocial aspects of HIV/AIDS survival and cosmetic surgery use. He has a particular interest in the development of psychosocial clinical measures such as the Cardiac Distress Inventory.
Associate Professor Barbara Murphy
Barbara Murphy is Associate Director at the Australian Centre for Heart Health, where she has worked for over 25 years. Her work focuses on supporting cardiac patients’ in their psychological recovery after heart attack or heart surgery, with a focus on anxiety, depression and cardiac distress. She has led the Cardiac Blues Project since 2015, with patient and health professional resources incorporated into cardiac rehabilitation practice across Australia. Since 2022 she has undertaken research and developed support programs for those recovering from spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), working with both national and international teams. She has a strong interest in translational research, with findings from her research used to develop face-to-face and online programs to support cardiac patients and health professionals.
Dr Murphy has over 150 peer-reviewed journal publications and regularly presents at
conferences and hospital in-services. She is Honorary Principal Research Fellow in
the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Melbourne and
an advisor to the Commonwealth Government’s Mental Health Professional Network
(MHPN).
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Dr Susie Cartledge
Dr Susie Cartledge is a Heart Foundation and Senior Research Fellow in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University. Susie is a Registered Nurse with a background in cardiac and emergency nursing, including ten years on the cardiac and thoracic ward of the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. Using this nursing experience, Susie is passionate about educating and empowering patients and families to manage cardiovascular disease long term.
Susie completed her PhD in 2018, investigating targeted approaches to teach cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to family members of high-risk cardiac patients. This research determined that cardiac rehabilitation was the right time and place for family CPR training and led Susie towards more cardiac rehabilitation research.
Susie has been heavily involved in progressing cardiac rehabilitation in Australia, including being the lead academic co-author of the most recent cardiac rehabilitation standardised program content guidelines, leading the investigation of the impact of COVID on cardiac rehab at a state and national level and serving on state and national level committees for the Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association (ACRA) for which she was recently awarded the distinguished service award.
Dr Jonathan Rawston
Dr Jonathan Rawstorn is an exercise scientist and Senior Research Fellow at Deakin University’s Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition. His research explores how digital technologies can improve access, uptake, and impact of evidence-based exercise and lifestyle interventions for people with chronic health conditions, including cardiovascular diseases.
Associate Professor Alison Beauchamp
Alison Beauchamp is Associate Professor in the School of Rural Health at Monash University. She has a background as a Registered Nurse, with over 10 years’ experience in cardiac rehabilitation. In 2011 she completed her PhD in social epidemiology at Monash University.
Alison is currently a NHMRC Emerging Leader Fellow (commenced 2021), with this grant exploring the role of health literacy in cardiac secondary prevention. She has previously held an Australian Research Council Fellowship at Deakin University, where she managed the large Optimising Health Literacy (Ophelia) study in which she supported clinicians to implement health literacy interventions.
In 2018, Alison was awarded a Medical Research Future Fund NHMRC Translational Research into Practice (TRIP) Fellow at the University of Melbourne to implement health literacy communication approaches in clinical settings. Alison has published over 90 peer-reviewed articles and has been lead or co-investigator on grants totalling over $7 million AUD.
Mr Adam Livori
Adam is the lead pharmacist in medical specialties and ambulatory care at Grampians Health in Victoria, Australia. Adam is also chair of the Cardiology Specialty Practice Group for the Society of Hospital Pharmacists (SHPA) of Australia, and a faculty member for the Cardiac Clinical Network for Safer Care Victoria. He is a published clinician-researcher within cardiology and has an interest in pharmacoepidemiology and arrythmias. He is contributed to the Cardiac Society of Australian and New Zealand (CSANZ) and National Heart Foundation of Australia (NHFA) guidelines for acute coronary syndromes, as well as co-led the development of Cardiology Pharmacy Standards of Practice with SHPA.
Adam has reviewer roles on the Australian Injectable Drugs Handbook (cardiology) and the Australian Medicines Handbook. His role as an educator extends to Monash University, as well as the Royal Australian College of Physicians, with a focus on medication optimisation and therapeutics. His PhD thesis through the Centre for Medicine Use and Safety is titled “Patterns and predictors of clinical outcome following acute myocardial infarction”, and is a big data study utilising registry data.
Dr Alistair Begg
Dr Alistair Begg MBBS FRACP FCSANZ DDU is an experienced cardiologist with expertise in cardiac imaging including exercise stress echocardiography, CT coronary angiography, coronary intervention and general cardiology. Alistair joined SA Heart in 2007 and consults regularly at our Ashford clinic.
Alistair graduated from medicine at the University of Adelaide in 1989 and commenced training in cardiology at Flinders Medical Centre. During his post-fellowship in Sydney, Alistair specialised in cardiac imaging. In 1996, he was awarded his Fellowship to the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Alistair continued on to obtain his Diploma of Diagnostic Ultrasound in 1997 and, in 2006, he was awarded his Fellowship of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. Two years later, he completed level 2 training for CT coronary angiography and enjoys working together with radiology to co-report these tests.
Alistair has many years of private practice experience in Sydney and Adelaide. His focus is on exercise testing and cardiac imaging. Alistair is particularly interested in patients with chest pain, heart failure, and significant risk factors—as well as the benefits of diet and exercise in preventing cardiac illness. He is actively involved in cardiac rehabilitation.
Professor Mark Nelson
Mark Nelson is Professor and Chair, Discipline of General Practice, and Senior Member, Menzies Research Institute for Medical Research, both at the University of Tasmania, and an Adjunct Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Australia. He is in general practice in Lindisfarne, Tasmania and was co-chair of the Expert Steering Group of the 2023 Guideline for assessing and managing CVD risk and Australian CVD risk calculator. His research interests are around large-scale clinical trials in CVD prevention in general practice. He has 500 scientific publications and has been a principal investigator on 3 of the 4 largest clinical trials conducted in Australia.
Dr Ronen Gurvitch
Dr. Gurvitch completed his medical training at the University of Melbourne followed by specialist cardiology and interventional training at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. After winning the inaugural CSANZ travelling fellowship award he spent two years training in Vancouver Canada with Professor John Webb, the pioneer of percutaneous heart valve technologies.
He performs a high number of complex coronary interventions including the use of advanced imaging techniques and is regularly oncall for the acute infarct angioplasty service at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. He has specific expertise in structural heart disease intervention and is recognized internationally for his work in the field of transcatheter aortic valve intervention. He currently leads the transcatheter valve implantation program at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and is actively involved in proctoring and teaching other cardiologists setting up their own percutaneous valve replacement programs both nationally and overseas. He has published extensively with over 60 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals including as first author in JACC and Circulation as well as authoring several book chapters.
Dr. Gurvitch has appointments at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne Private, John Fawkner and Cabrini private hospitals. He consults regularly at OneHeart Cardiology in Flemington/Niddrie as well as a number of regional centers including Woodend, Gisborne, and Seymour/Euroa.
Associate Professor Monique Watts
Associate Professor Monique Watts is a Cardiologist and Heart Failure Specialist at Epworth Freemasons and the Alfred Hospital.
After graduating from the University of Melbourne, A/Prof Watts trained at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. She completed Advanced Training in Cardiology with a Fellowship in Heart Failure at the Alfred Hospital, Victoria’s only combined heart failure and cardiac transplantation service.
A/Prof Watts continues her interest in the management of all types of heart failure and is actively involved in researching novel therapies for this condition.
A/Prof Watts recently extended her cardiology practice by developing East Wimmera Health’s inaugural rural cardiac clinic in Charlton and by establishing the Women’s Cardiology Clinic at the Alfred Hospital.
Professor André La Gerche
Professor André La Gerche completed a PhD at St Vincent’s/University of Melbourne and four years of post-doctoral research at the University Hospital of Leuven in Belgium. Subsequently, he established his own research lab and cardiac imaging facility at the Baker Institute that produced several late-breaking clinical trials published in leading cardiovascular journals.
His research and clinical work focuses on the effect of exercise on the human heart. He studies the range of health from severe heart and lung disease to elite athletic performance.
Dr Andrew Goodman
Dr Andrew Goodman is an Aboriginal man from Iningai Country in Queensland. Prior to his PhD, Dr Goodman spent more than 13 years as an Indigenous Healthcare Worker in Queensland, focusing on cardiac and healthcare services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Currently, he is a Postdoctoral Fellow with CSIROs Australian eHealth Research Centre, exploring the intersection, challenges and opportunities of digital health and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ health and wellbeing. With his core value system of ‘Relationships before Partnerships’, Dr Goodman takes a relational approach to research agenda setting anchored by a value-based accountability with prospective partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations.
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Dr Rosemary Higgins
Dr Rosemary Higgins is Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society College of Health Psychologists and Chair of the Victorian College of Health Psychologists. She works as a Cardiac Health Psychologist and a Family Therapist in private practice and with the Australian Centre for Heart Health. In this work, Rosemary specializes in delivering psychological treatment to patients after a cardiac event.
In 2020 Rosemary was awarded the ACRA Alan Goble distinguished service award for extraordinary service to cardiac rehabilitation, the only psychologist to be awarded this honour. Rosemary holds position of Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne, and is a Guest Lecturer at Deakin University, Federation University, The University of Melbourne and the Institute of Social Neurosciences.
For more than twenty years, Rosemary has been involved in developing cardiac rehabilitation services, delivering cardiac rehabilitation content to patients, supporting cardiac rehabilitation clinicians to develop best practice programs and representing the field on state and national executive councils. She is past President of the VACR and has served on the ACRA executive for many years. Rosemary also works as a researcher and with over 60 peer reviewed publications including a book chapter and has been awarded almost 2 million dollars in research funding.
Dr Michael Le Grande
Michael has 30 years of experience in public health and psychological research and is a trained epidemiologist and data analyst. Michael has many research interests related to his work at the Australian Centre for Heart Health which primarily focuses on psychosocial aspects of recovery from heart disease. Some areas of interest related to this work have included sleep disordered breathing, physical activity, cognitive functioning, quality of life, illness perceptions, trajectories of anxiety and depression, health literacy, heart failure and co-morbidities, and Indigenous social and emotional wellbeing.
Michael has authored over 60 refereed papers and is the lead author on the position statement from the Australian Centre for Heart Health and the Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association concerning screening for obstructive sleep apnoea in cardiac rehabilitation. Michael also works at the Centre for Behaviour Change, Department of Psychology at The University of Melbourne with research interests including determinants of smoking cessation, effects of e-cigarettes on mood, and developing accurate measures of tobacco dependence.
Professor Annette Foley
Annette Foley is a Professor of Adult and Vocational Education in the Institution of Education, Arts and Community at Federation University and holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne. Annette is an expert in the area of adult learning principles and learning theories and is the course coordinator of the Associate Degree in Vocational Education and Training.
Professor Foley is the Director of the Centre of Regional Education Research Development (CRERD) and the convenor of the research focus group, Research in Adult and Vocational Education (RAVE). These roles frame Annette’s key research interests which include informal learning, lifelong learning, adult education, education for health and well-being, youth engagement in adult education and Vocational Education and Training (VET) opportunity and pathways where she has published widely both in Australia and internationally.
Annette is a member of the Adult Learning Australia Board. She also holds positions on the Editorial Boards for the Australian Journal of Adult Education (AJAL) and Studies in Adult Education and Learning.
Tracy Busse
With a background in organisational psychology (BA Hons. & Masters HRM), Tracy runs Waveform Consulting where she specialises in career and resilience coaching. She is also a qualified meditation teacher, trained in Stillness Meditation Therapy by Pauline McKinnon AOM in the Ainslie Meares medical approach to meditation which addresses anxiety, depression and preventative health.
Tracy had a sudden cardiac arrest in 2010, when she was 42, just two months after her brother had passed from a sudden death at age 39. She subsequently provided support to heart patients through a heart charity and in 2020 she founded and still hosts an online community for SCA survivors and their families. She has also shared her experiences and healing journey in her book “Calm Through Chaos: How to build resilience and thrive in life’. Available at Calm Through Chaos Book | Waveform consulting
Melissa Raval
Melissa is an Accredited Practising Dietitian with more than 20 years experience. She currently works as a community dietitian at cohealth community health service, as well working as a dietitian in the HARP (Hospital admission reduction program) for the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Melissa has a particular interest in chronic disease prevention and management, specifically diabetes and heart health, assisting clients to self-manage their health.
Dr Elena George
Dr George is an Advanced Accredited Practicing Dietitian and the Course Director for the Masters of Dietetics. She is in the top 0.3% of researchers globally for diet (top 2% for nutrition therapy and Mediterranean diet) and and #1 Australian Dietitian in fatty liver disease. Dr George actively supervises HDR students (PhD, Masters and Honours). She has experience in various dietary patterns, clinical trials, epidemiology, co-design and implementation and her research program is aimed at improving clinical practice. In particular enhancing evidence-based practice in lifestyle management through research that is translated into practice.
Dr George's foundational research pioneered sociocultural adaptations of diets for multicultural cohorts and this work has been internationally recognised and adopted. Her research program focuses on dietary patterns and their practical application for the prevention and management of chronic diseases. Her research extends to the provision of dietary interventions alongside other lifestyle factors.
Dr George aims to enhance dietetic evidence based practice and at the same time looks to address (allied health) workforce limitations by developing simple/ protocolised dietary interventions that can be delivered.
Associate Professor Erin Howden
A/Prof Erin Howden is an experienced researcher with international postdoctoral experience and strong track record of high impact research, including leading internationally and nationally funded research programs. Erin is skilled in clinical trials research including randomised controlled trials, in patients with cancer, cardiovascular disease and at risk individuals. Strong leadership skills, with experience in managing multidisciplinary teams and research higher degree student supervision. She has received more than $10m in competitive funding.
Erin has a host of technical expertise in Exercise Physiology, Exercise Prescription, Health Education, Cardiovascular Physiology, and is recognised as a future leader in cardiovascular research in Australia, with a growing international reputation. Erin was awarded the Sir Laurence Muir Medal for emerging excellence and is a past Future Leader Fellow of the Heart Foundation. She is a regular contributor to media including ABC, the Age, and Herald Sun newspapers. Erin is also the chair of the International Cardio-Oncology Society Cardiac Rehab and Exercise working group.
Dr Robert Grenfell
Rob has lived in the Grampians region for most of his life, having grown up in Horsham and returning to Natimuk where he practiced as a rural General Practitioner in the early days of his career.
Rob’s career has focused on public health with extensive experience in government, not-for-profit and private sectors. After a stint in Melbourne – where he held roles at CSIRO as Director of Health and Biosecurity, National Director of Cardiovascular Health at the Heart Foundation, and Senior Medical Advisor at the Department of Health Victoria – he returned to Natimuk in 2020 and shortly after commenced as Public Health Physician Specialist in the Grampians Public Health Unit.
Rob has specialist expertise in health system analysis, strategic planning, governance, health risk management, and equity-focused care. He is passionate about access to healthcare in rural communities and bringing innovative systems to improve equity in regional settings.