Sydney researchers all heart

27 November 2007
University of Sydney academics played a prominent role at the recent international conference of the American Heart Association.

The AHA's annual conference held in Orlando, Florida, regarded as the premier cardiovascular research and instructional meeting in the world, attracted more than 4,000 abstracts of original research and a variety of invited programs.

The extensive scientific program was arranged in three broad areas of clinical, basic and population science, the highlights of which were reported in the AHA's official daily newspaper.

Both Professor Stephen McMahon from the George Institute for International Health and Professor Phillip Barter from the Heart Research Institute were headlined on the front page of the paper on two consecutive days.

Professor McMahon was chosen to deliver the annual Paul Dudley White International lecture and used the opportunity to challenge the AHA to take the lead in reducing cardiovascular disease worldwide.

"In low and middle income countries, more than half of all cardiovascular disease affects people in middle age - during their most economically productive years - and as a result cardiovascular disease is now an important cause of poverty in many regions," he said. "Most individuals in those countries who are at high risk of a fatal or disabling cardiovascular event receive no treatment whatsoever."

Also featured was Professor Phil Barter, lead investigator of the international Illuminate study and Director of the Heart Research Institute who gave a presentation on the Illuminate trial final results and had a simultaneous paper in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Contact: Andrew Potter
Phone: 02 9351 4514, 0414 998 521
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