Professor Macfarlane focuses on patient diagnosis and initiation of management, collaborating with General Practitioners to transfer care to GPs. He is Head of Clinical Services, The Dementia Centre, HammondCare, Melbourne AU. He coordinates a specialist clinical support team while applying his 20 years’ experience in running Phase II-III Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials as a Principal Investigator (local, national, and global) to conduct clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease. As an Associate Professor of Aged Psychiatry at Monash University since 2008, he remains actively involved in student teaching and other forms of medical education.
Dr. Borad received his MD from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, completed internal medicine training at Cedars-Sinai, medical oncology training at Tulane University, and was a Genomics Medicine and Drug Development Scholar at TGen under the tutelage of Dr. Daniel Von Hoff. His team was the first to demonstrate anti-tumor activity in FGFR2-fusion cholangiocarcinomas using small molecule FGFR2 inhibitors and to introduce an oncolytic Rhabdovirus into human clinical studies. His work is supported by grants from the US NIH, NCI, DOD and FDA. He is currently a Professor of Medicine, Program Leader for the Gene and Virus Therapy Program, and Director of the Precision Cancer Therapeutics Program at Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Pascual focuses on clinical immunosuppression and kidney transplantation in elderly and frail renal patients. He is Medical Director, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid. Since 1995, he has managed the hospitalization unit within the Kidney Transplantation Program at Hospital Ramon y Cajal and has had a very active role in the development of new immunosuppressive strategies. He is a well-known clinical research leader in industry-sponsored and investigator-driven projects with many collaborative efforts.
Dr. Noronha focuses on the study of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in kidney fibrogenesis and the progression of renal diseases in several experimental models of CKD. She is full professor of Nephrology, University of São Paulo Medical School, and Head, Renal Division, Hospital das Clinicas, University of São Paulo Medical School. She has served as Principal Investigator on nearly 100 clinical trials. Her clinical focus is on glomerular diseases as well as in kidney transplantation.
Dr. Cheung’s clinical and research interests focus on glomerular diseases, especially IgA nephropathy, vasculitis, lupus nephritis and CKD. He is a Consultant Nephrologist and Honorary Associate Professor, University of Leicester, UK. He leads a number of investigator-initiated studies in these areas and has served as UK national chief investigator and principal investigator on multiple international randomized clinical trials. He is a Steering Committee member of the International IgA Nephropathy Network and several national working groups.
Dr. Khasraw’s research focuses on the development and design of innovative clinical trials to improve patient outcomes of primary and metastatic cancers of the central nervous systems. He is a neuro-oncologist, professor of medicine and Deputy Director of the Center for Cancer Immunotherapy at Duke where he is tasked with speeding up translation for scientists across all departments and tumor sites. Dr. Khasraw is leading several clinical and translational programs moving from bench to bedside and back to the bench―including leadership of several multicenter early phase immunotherapy clinical trials and collaborations in and outside Duke and across disciplines.
Professor Thomas’ research focus is on the application of genomic technologies to the understanding and management of cancer. He is the inaugural Director, Centre for Molecular Oncology, University of New South Wales; Head of the Genomic Cancer Medicine Laboratory, Garvan Institute of Medical Research; and CEO of Omico. He founded the Australasian Sarcoma Study Group and established Australia’s leading adolescent and young adult cancer unit at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Professor Thomas leads the International Sarcoma Kindred Study and led the first international study of denosumab in Giant Cell Tumor of bone, leading to FDA and TGA approval.
Dr. Trimarchi focuses on glomerular diseases, particularly in proteinuria and podocyturia, IgA nephropathy, focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis, lupus nephritis and Fabry disease. He is Head of the Division of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation at the Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires and a member of the Steering Committee of the International IgA Nephropathy Network. He is involved in many clinical research protocols related to glomerular diseases and CKD as member of the advisory board and Steering Committee, as KOL or national coordinator.
Associate Professor Neuen is an internationally recognized expert on the efficacy and safety of SGLT2 inhibitors. He is a Staff Specialist Nephrologist and Director, Kidney Trials Unit at Royal North Shore Hospital and Senior Research Fellow at The George Institute, Australia. Dr. Neuen serves as the founding Secretariat of the SGLT2 Meta-Analysis Cardio-Renal Trialists’ Consortium (SMART-C). He is involved in the leadership of multiple ongoing international multi-centre randomized trials. His work has directly informed both KDIGO Guidelines and American Diabetes Association Standards of Care.
Graham holds a PhD in Neuropharmacology from the University of Edinburgh Medical School. His more than 30 years of industry experience includes clinical operations, project management, regulatory consulting and business development. Formerly VP, Clinical Development, Travecta Therapeutics, Graham has also held senior management roles in UK and Singapore with Parexel, ICON, Quintiles and Syneos. He has directly managed 20 Phase II/III clinical programs that successfully gained marketing approval through submission to the US FDA.
Dr. Wabnitz has extensive experience in clinical development with a unique combination of clinical medicine, pharmacology, toxicology and industry drug development experience. He is Consultant Physician at Royal Adelaide Hospital (FRACP), Australia. He has acted as an investigator and Medical Monitor in over 50 first in human Phase I/II clinical trials as well as previously being the Executive Medical Director of a leading Australian Phase I clinical unit. He is qualified in regulatory submissions, HREC reviews/approvals, clinical trial design and execution, medical monitoring and extensive clinical trial networks within Australia, Asia, EU and the USA.
Associate Professor Kotwal focuses on CKD, hypertension, innovative clinical trials and is passionate about embedding research into clinical practice. She is program head, Kidney and Metabolic Division at The George Institute for Global Health, Associate Professor, University of NSW and nephrologist at Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney. She is principal investigator for the Global Kidney Patients Trial Network and the Chronic kidney disease Adaptive Platform Trial Investigating Various Agents for Therapeutic Effect (CAPTIVATE). She has delivered several clinical trials to completion and participates on several steering committees.
Research focused on clinical and epidemiological aspects of stroke, cardiovascular disease and aged care. Professor of Neurology and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Sydney, and in clinical practice at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney. Executive Director of The George Institute for Global Health, China at Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing. Senior Investigator Fellow of the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. Past President of the Asia Pacific Stroke Organization and the Stroke Society of Australasia.
Professor Heerspink focuses on optimizing treatment strategies, finding new CKD therapeutic approaches and personalized medicine. He is Professor of Clinical Trials and Personalized Medicine and a clinical trialist at the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University Medical Center Groningen and Clinical Pharmacologist University Medical Center Groningen. His expertise includes clinical trial design and methodological aspects and statistical analyses of clinical trials.
Professor Gallagher focuses on acute kidney injury, the epidemiology of renal disease and clinical trials. He is Head of the Discipline of Medicine and Head of the South Western Sydney Clinical School at UNSW, and a practicing Clinical Academic Nephrologist at Liverpool Hospital. He was Director of the Renal and Metabolic Division at The George Institute for Global Health for 11 years and now leads the AKI program within the Division. He has worked extensively within the ANZ Society of Nephrology in renal guidelines, clinical policy and research.
Professor Barratt focuses on glomerular disease, multi-system renal disease and complications of CKD, in particular renal associated anemia. He is The Mayer Professor of Renal Medicine & Honorary Consultant Nephrologist and leads the Renal Research Group within the College of Life Sciences University of Leicester, UK. He is the IgA nephropathy Rare Disease Group lead for the UK National Registry of Rare Kidney Diseases (RaDaR) and a member of the steering committee for the International IgA Nephropathy Network.
Dr. Jha focuses on understanding the global societal impact of kidney diseases and development of affordable, scalable and sustainable prevention tools. He is Executive Director, The George Institute for Global Health, India; Professor and Chair of Global Kidney Health, Imperial College, London; Conjoint Professor of Medicine, University of New South Wales; Professor, Prasanna School of Public Health, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India; and Immediate Past President (2019 – 2021) International Society of Nephrology. He has led research projects in more than 20 countries and has worked with many organizations including WHO to develop clinical practice guidelines and advocacy papers.
Dr. Liew focuses on glomerular diseases, peritoneal dialysis, kidney transplantation and diabetic kidney disease. He is Senior Consultant Nephrologist and Director of The Kidney & Transplant Practice, Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, Singapore; the current elected secretary and executive of the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis; and the chair of the ISN Renal Disaster Preparedness Working Group. He is member of several KDIGO Guideline working groups and chairs the Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology Clinical Guidelines on Diabetic Kidney Disease.
Dr. Pecoits-Filho is a practicing Nephrologist and clinical investigator focused on evolving the way CKD patients are treated in day-to-day clinical practice by integrating observational research with clinical trials. He is the Scientific Director of the DOPPS program at Arbor Research Collaborative for Health, Michigan, and a professor of Medicine at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, Brazil.
Dr. Wong is a clinical trialist with interests in strategies to delay CKD progression, biomarkers research, randomized controlled clinical trials and translational research. He is Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Sydney, Researcher and Educator, and a Senior Consultant Nephrologist and Director of Renal Research at the Department of Renal Medicine, Concord Repatriation General Hospital. He is a Council member of the Asia Pacific Society of Nephrology (APSN), and the Honorary Executive Officer of the Australia New Zealand Society of Nephrology (ANZSN).
Dr. Wheeler’s research focuses on CKD and its complications, specifically those that increase cardiovascular disease burden and/or accelerate kidney failure progression. He heads a clinical research team at the Royal Free Hospital in London and is Professor of Kidney Medicine at University College London. He has been involved in the development of Clinical Practice Guidelines for Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) and was KDIGO co-chair between 2012 and 2019.
Dr. Perkovic’s focus is clinical trials and epidemiology, particularly in preventing kidney disease progression and its complications. He is the Provost, UNSW Sydney, where he was previously the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health and Scientia Professor. He was also a Professorial Fellow at The George Institute, Australia, and Staff Specialist in Nephrology at the Royal North Shore Hospital. He leads several major international clinical trials and serves on the Steering Committees of others. He has contributed to developing Australian and global kidney disease, cardiovascular risk assessment and blood pressure management guidelines.
Dr. Schwartzberg’s research interests focus on breast cancer, supportive care, precision medicine and patient reported outcomes. He is Chief, Medical Oncology and Hematology at the at the William N. Pennington Cancer Institute at Renown Health and Professor of Clinical Medicine, University of Nevada School of Medicine Reno. He has published over 300 peer reviewed manuscripts, book chapters and monographs. He is founding editor in chief of the Elsevier website Practice Update Oncology and founding editor in chief of the journal Community Oncology. Dr. Schwartzberg was honored as the 2023 Legends in Cancer honoree at the Best of Breast conference for his contributions to the field of breast cancer.
Dr. Boccia focuses on cutting-edge drug development. He is Medical Director of the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders in Bethesda, Maryland, where he has up to 60 clinical trials at all times, and 10 FTEs for research. He is also Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. and serves as the Chief Medical Officer for the International Oncology Network (ION). He is a member of numerous professional societies including ASCO, ASH and the American College of Physicians.
Dr. VanderWalde specializes in melanoma and is experienced in genomic tumor assessment, public health, tumor immunotherapy, medical ethics and precision oncology. He is the Global Head of Clinical Research at Caris Life Sciences and works as Research Faculty at West Cancer Center where he served as the Director of Research from 2014 to 2021. He is also Professor in the Division of Epidemiology at the University of Memphis School of Public Health. Dr. VanderWalde has extensive experience in clinical research, including the design and conduct of clinical trials, results reporting, regulatory filing and interactions between investigators and the pharmaceutical industry.
Dr. Loong’s research focuses on sarcoma medical oncology, neuro-oncology, thoracic oncology and experimental therapeutics (Phase I trials). Based in Hong Kong, he holds conjoint appointments of Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Oncology and Deputy Medical Director, Phase I Clinical Trials Centre, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is the current and founding convenor, the Prince of Wales Hospital Adult Sarcoma Multidisciplinary Team. He has conducted >50 oncology trials as Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator. Dr. Loong is a founding executive committee member of the Asia Pacific Oncology Drug Development Consortium and Chair-Elect, International Affairs Committee at ASCO.
Dr. Pluard’s research focuses on novel therapies in metastatic breast cancer. He is Medical Director at Luke’s Cancer Institute and Founding Director of Saint Luke’s Koontz Center for Advanced Breast Cancer, Kansas City. Previously, he was Associate Professor of Medicine and Clinical Director of Breast Oncology at Washington University Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis. His clinical focus is exclusively metastatic breast cancer care including advanced genomic and immunotherapy treatments, and he is a major contributor to numerous clinical trials. Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute has the region’s largest portfolio of Stage 4 breast cancer clinical trials―through partnerships, access to >200 trials.
Dr. Chandler focuses on blood cancers with a specific focus of cellular therapy in multiple myeloma and lymphoma. He heads up malignant hematology research at West Cancer Center in Memphis, TN. He spent five years as a member of the NCCN guidelines committee for multiple myeloma and is involved in multiple clinical trials ranging from Phase I to III in malignant hematology. Dr. Chandler has been involved with building a stem cell transplant/CAR-T program and is currently doing so again with a focus on out-patient administration.
Dr. Kosiborod’s research has a strong focus on the intersection of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. He is Vice President of Research at Saint Luke’s Health System; Director of Cardiometabolic Research and Co-Director of the Haverty Cardiometabolic Center of Excellence at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute; and Professor of Medicine at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He is an internationally recognized expert in diabetes and cardiovascular disease, cardiometabolic and cardiorenal syndromes, as well as quality of care and outcomes. He received training in clinical research, epidemiology and health policy through the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, as well as clinical training in cardiovascular medicine at Yale University School of Medicine.
As a practicing clinician and researcher, Dr. Kosiborod seeks to establish a practical system of implementing adoption of new treatments that have been proven to be life saving into practice in a more timely manner. He continues to be involved in the leadership of numerous clinical trials and multi-center registries, and serve as the Principal Investigator of investigator-initiated, multi-center trials in diabetes and cardiovascular disease, most recently of SGLT2 inhibition.
Research interests include the environmental determinants of chronic disease and the potential for changes in the food supply to deliver large, cost-effective and equitable health gains. Founding member and Executive Director, The George Institute for Global Health; Professor of Medicine, UNSW Sydney; and Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Imperial College London. Expertise in the management of high blood pressure and diabetes and has played lead roles in multiple large-scale clinical trials.
Professor Rodgers’ principal focus is on cardiovascular disease prevention, innovation and public-private partnerships, and in scaleable interventions to address major health risks. He is Professor of Global Health at The George Institute for Global Health and Chair of Clinical Epidemiology, Imperial College London. He was the principal author of the 2002 World Health Report, the main annual publication for WHO.
Since 2003 Professor Rodgers has led a public-private partnership developing an affordable four-in-one cardiovascular combination pill (‘polypill’), with a clinical trial program in economically developed and developing countries, funded by the Wellcome Trust, European Union and others. His current work aims to foster similar developments designed to be ‘fit for purpose’ in low income settings.
Dr. Sundström’s research focuses on causes and consequences of hypertension. He is Professor of Epidemiology at Uppsala University; Conjoint Professor at The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales; and a clinical specialist in the internal medicine and cardiology at Department of Cardiology, Uppsala University Hospital. He also heads the university’s Clinical Epidemiology research group.
Dr. Sundström is interested in using big data to create value for patients and populations and developing methods for risk estimation, treatment decisions and evaluation of treatment effects, risks and costs. In addition to creating data sources such as clinical trials and cohorts, he develops methods for emerging ones such as electronic health records and digital patient-generated data. He has made important contributions to the understanding of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors, with a focus on high blood pressure, and his work is cited in several international cardiovascular prevention and hypertension guidelines. At the George Institute for Global Health at Sydney University, he initiated a series of studies in the Blood Pressure Lowering Treatment Trialists’ Collaboration investigating optimal targeting of blood pressure-lowering treatment. He is currently contributing with unique research of the potential for “precision medicine”in cardiovascular disease.
Professor Chalmers’ research interests include large scale clinical trials and epidemiological studies related to hypertension, coronary heart disease and stroke, and diabetes and renal disease. He is Senior Director, Professorial Unit, The George Institute for Global Health and Professor of Medicine, UNSW Sydney, as well as Emeritus Professor of Medicine at Flinders University and at the University of Sydney.
At the George Institute, he serves as Principal Investigator on research grants and chair of steering committees for major studies.
Professor Chalmers’ studies on the treatment of high blood pressure for the prevention of heart attack and stroke have changed the way patients are treated throughout the world. They helped elucidate the brain mechanisms and neurotransmitters responsible for blood pressure control, and also demonstrated the benefits to stroke and Type II diabetes patients of lowering their blood pressure – whether it is considered clinically “high” or not. His contribution to medical science has been recognized through many awards, Honorary Doctoral degrees and extensive appointments on national and international boards and advisory committees. He was appointed a Companion in the Order of Australia (AC) in 1991 and an Officer in the National Order of Merit of France in 2010.
Dr. Delcourt’s research interests are stroke, health systems, clinical trials and epidemiology. She is Senior Research Fellow at The George Institute for Global Health and the Hunter Stroke Service in Newcastle, and Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sydney. She has extensive experience in the design, management, conduct and reporting of clinical trials and as an adjudicator and medical reviewer for stroke and cardiovascular projects.
Dr. Delcourt is focused on improving stroke care, particularly in regional and rural Australia. She received more than $400,000.00 funding in 2019 from Australian government to reduce care gaps and improve outcomes for rural patients including use of telemedicine. She obtained her specialist medical qualification in Neurology from the University of Liege (Belgium) and additional qualifications in cerebrovascular medicine from the University of Dijon (France) and in neurophysiology from the University of Lille (France). She is an executive committee member of the Stroke Society of Australasia and the Australian Stroke Trial Network and holds a clinical appointment at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
Dr. Jenkins’ research is focused on the clinical management of airways disease and patient reported outcomes in response to therapeutic interventions. She is Head of the Respiratory Group at The George Institute for Global Health; Senior Staff Specialist in Thoracic Medicine at Concord Hospital, Sydney; Clinical Professor and Head of Respiratory Discipline at University of Sydney; and Professor of Respiratory Medicine at UNSW Sydney. She also chairs the National Asthma Campaign and the Federal Government’s National Asthma Advisory Group.
Dr. Jenkins has been Principal Investigator and has led many investigator-initiated and competitively funded clinical trials in airways disease. She is an active clinician and has had major roles in advocacy and leadership for lung health in Australia, chairing many local and international guidelines and implementation initiatives to enhance resources, skills, capacity and clinical outcomes in airways disease. She is on the Board of the Lung Foundation Australia, and is a member of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand, the American Thoracic Society, European Respirator Society and the Asia-Pacific Society of Respirology.
Professor John A Myburgh AO, is Professor of Intensive Care Medicine, UNSW Sydney; Director of the Division of Critical Care and Trauma at the George Institute for International Health and Senior Intensive Care Physician at the St George Hospital, Sydney. He holds honorary Professorial appointments at the University of Sydney and Monash University School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.
He has an extensive research track record over 25 years and is regarded as a national and international expert in catecholamine neurophysiology and pharmacology, trials of clinical management of traumatic brain injury, fluid resuscitation and in the development and co-ordination of over 35 clinical trials in Intensive Care Medicine.
He is a Foundation Member and Past-Chairman of the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Clinical Trials Group. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre at the Monash University School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. In addition to his research profile, he has made a substantive contribution to education in Intensive Care Medicine, both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels over the last 25 years. He was instrumental in establishing the College of Intensive Care Medicine, serving as a Fellowship examiner for twelve years, on the Board for ten years and as the first elected President from 2010-2012.
In June 2014, he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to medicine as an intensive care medical practitioner, educator and researcher, and as an international innovator in patient management.
Simon Finfer is a Professorial Fellow in the Critical Care and Trauma Division at The George Institute for Global Health. He is a practicing critical care physician with an appointment as a Senior Staff Specialist at Royal North Shore Hospital and Director of Intensive Care at the Sydney Adventist Hospital, the largest not-for-profit hospital in New South Wales.
Simon holds a Professor appointment at the University of New South Wales, and a Clinical Professor at the University of Sydney. He is a past-Chair of the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS) Clinical Trials Group. He chairs the Council of the International Sepsis Forum, and is a member (Treasurer) of the Global Sepsis Alliance Executive. Simon is a member of the World Sepsis Day Steering Committee and recently co-chaired the 1st World Sepsis Congress, a two-day free online congress that attracted 14,000 registrants.
His postgraduate qualifications include Fellowships of the Royal Colleges of Physicians, the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the College of Intensive Care Medicine. He was elected to the ANZICS Honour Roll in 2011 and in 2012 he was awarded an honorary doctorate (Doctor of Medicine) by The Friedrich-Schiller University in Germany, an honour awarded once every 10 years. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.
Simon’s major research interest is the design and conduct of large scale randomized controlled trials in critical care. Simon is active in forging major international research collaborations that have conducted large scale clinical trials and epidemiological research to improve the treatment of critically ill and injured patients. He has published over 150 peer reviewed papers, many in the most prestigious journal in the world. He is frequently invited to lecture at major international conferences.
Simon is an Editor of The Oxford Textbook of Critical Care (2nd Ed.), the Critical Care Section Editor for The Oxford Textbook of Medicine (6th Ed.), and was a guest editor for The New England Journal of Medicine from 2012 – 2014.
Professor Hunter is a rheumatology clinician-researcher whose main research focus is clinical and translational research in osteoarthritis (OA). He is the Florance and Cope Chair of Rheumatology and Professor of Medicine at the University of Sydney and Royal North Shore Hospital. He is ranked as the leading expert in the world on osteoarthritis on expertscape.com and is the section editor for UpToDate osteoarthritis. He holds a medical degree and Master of Sports Medicine from the University of New South Wales, a fellowship in Rheumatology at the Royal Australian College of Physicians and earned a Masters of Medical Science (Clinical Epidemiology) from the University of Newcastle and received his Ph.D. from the University of Sydney in 2001. He is an editor for leading international journals in his field, has authored books on osteoarthritis and has over 500 publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Professor Ludbrook’s research interests include early phase clinical trials in both healthy volunteers and patients on a wide range of therapeutic goods as well as trials on health services and health economics.
He is Professor of Anaesthesia at the University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital; Head of Acute Care Medicine at University of Adelaide; Director of PARC Clinical Research, an early phase clinical trials unit within Royal Adelaide Hospital; and Medical Lead of ARRC, a high acuity postoperative unit at Royal Adelaide Hospital. He sits on a number of committees and groups on quality and safety; and is a member of TGA’s Advisory Committee on Medical Devices.
Dr. Smith’s focus is on Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and the recruitment of appropriate patients. He is a clinically trained neuropsychologist with >30 years’ experience in clinical trials involving cognition. He has worked as both PI and as a high-level team member on >130 AD clinical trials, including Pre-clinical, Prodroma, Mild-to-Moderate and Severe AD. He has introduced the concept of a cognitive task force on recent trials ensuring timely and cost-effective recruitment. Dr. Smith has had collaborative relationships with AD KOLs in North America, Europe, Australasia and the Asia Pacific.
