Posted 2 July 2024
SVI proudly welcomes Dr Elizabeth Paratz, who has joined SVI’s Heart, Exercise and Research Trials (HEART) Lab as a Team Leader.
Liz’s work focuses on accelerating and furthering the understanding of sudden cardiac arrest. She will also be supported through SVI’s growing relationship with the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute (VCCRI).
Liz’s appointment comes just months after Professor André La Gerche established the HEART lab at SVI, which is also supported by both organisations.
Professor Tom Kay, Director of SVI, says: “We’re excited to have a clinician-scientist of Dr Paratz’s calibre join SVI. Her presence will also further build the growing partnership between our two Institutes and will help us achieve more than either of us could working alone.”
Professor Jason Kovacic, Director and CEO of VCCRI, says: “Dr Paratz is recognised globally for her research into cardiac arrest. Every year, around 25,000 people in Australia experience a sudden cardiac arrest outside of hospital, and we are unable to determine the cause in far too many cases. Dr Paratz’s work will play a vital role in delivering answers to families across Australia and will help reduce the burden of this terrible disease.”
Dr Paratz will lead a team of SVI researchers, working closely with Professor La Gerche and scientists at VCCRI, who are also undertaking research into sudden cardiac arrest.
Dr Paratz says she is thrilled with her new appointment. “SVI and VCCRI are leading the way into cardiac research on a number of frontiers, and it is exciting to join as part of the team to lead major projects and commence new national and international collaborations.”
In addition to focusing on sudden cardiac arrest, Dr Paratz also undertakes research into rheumatic heart disease, global health, digital innovations, and big data analysis. She has published 85 research papers, is an Associate Editor on several international journals, and was announced as a World Heart Federation Emerging Leader in 2023.
She has also constructed the largest registry of deaths due to sudden cardiac arrest globally – work that she will continue to drive in her new role.