Monash Victorian Heart Institute

Monash Victorian Heart Institute The Victorian Heart Institute (VHI) is a non-for-profit research institute based at Monash University

Three years of the Victorian Heart Hospital 🧡 When we opened our doors on 19 February 2023, Director Professor Stephen N...
20/02/2026

Three years of the Victorian Heart Hospital 🧡

When we opened our doors on 19 February 2023, Director Professor Stephen Nicholls, spoke about redefining cardiovascular care - placing patients at the centre, embedding research into clinical practice, and building a model that integrates prevention, innovation, education and impact.

Three years on, that vision continues to guide us. At the Victorian Heart Hospital, in partnership with Monash Health and Monash University, we’re reimagining how health is delivered.

Our research remains translational and collaborative by design. Multi-disciplinary researchers work alongside clinicians, data shapes decisions, clinical trials are embedded in care, and innovation pathways accelerate discoveries into policy, practice and markets.

Importantly, we continue to challenge ourselves to do better. Prioritising improving access, addressing inequities and under-served populations, and ensuring that breakthroughs reach the people who need them most.

The question Professor Nicholls posed on opening day still drives us: “What will cardiovascular care look like in 10 years?”

If the first three years are any indication it will be more personalised, more connected, and more impactful than ever.

We are proud of what this partnership has built and even more excited about what comes next.

The Monash Victorian Heart Institute is excited to announce the award of $3.7 million in MRFF funding for PUMA - a world...
22/01/2026

The Monash Victorian Heart Institute is excited to announce the award of $3.7 million in MRFF funding for PUMA - a world-first, patient co-designed clinical trial led by Dr Luke Perry, aiming to simplify how heart surgery patients are monitored across Australia and beyond.

Co-designed with heart surgery survivors and their families, PUMA will compare a commonly used invasive monitoring device with a simpler alternative - focusing on what patients say matters most: safer care, fewer complications, and getting home sooner.

Recruiting 2,000 patients from 2026, the trial brings together a team of researchers, clinicians, health services, industry and consumer partners to deliver high-value, evidence-based heart surgery care for the future.

🔗 Read more about the PUMA trial:
https://lnkd.in/gi879WuU

Today’s Herald Sun highlights a growing call from experts to fund routine screening for lipoprotein(a), a genetic and of...
12/01/2026

Today’s Herald Sun highlights a growing call from experts to fund routine screening for lipoprotein(a), a genetic and often invisible risk factor for heart attack and stroke.

Lp(a) affects around one in five adults globally, yet it isn’t included in standard cholesterol testing, leaving many Australians unaware they are at elevated risk.

At the Monash Victorian Heart Institute and Victorian Heart Hospital, Director Professor Stephen Nicholls is leading international trials of new therapies targeting Lp(a), including a once-daily pill that has shown up to 85% reduction in early studies.

Because Lp(a) levels are genetically influenced, most people only need to be tested once - helping identify those who need more intensive prevention long before symptoms appear.

Funding an Lp(a) blood test is a real opportunity for Australia to lead globally in cardiovascular prevention and to save lives through earlier detection and smarter care.

🔗 Read the full story in today’s Herald Sun: https://bit.ly/3Z3Sx70

What if heart health starts in the gut?The Victorian Heart Institute is delighted to host 'A Conversation with Tim Spect...
07/01/2026

What if heart health starts in the gut?

The Victorian Heart Institute is delighted to host 'A Conversation with Tim Spector' - world-leading expert in nutrition, the gut microbiome and personalised health.

Join this thought-provoking discussion exploring the latest science behind food, inflammation and cardiovascular health, followed by a live conversation and Q&A with VHI experts including Deputy Director, Professor Francine Marques.

📍 Victorian Heart Hospital
📅 Tuesday 3 February
🎟️ Free public event – registrations essential

🔗 Register now: https://lnkd.in/gTjvc3zs

Congratulations to our 2025 End-of-Year Award recipients 🎉We’re proud to celebrate the people who make the Monash Victor...
18/12/2025

Congratulations to our 2025 End-of-Year Award recipients 🎉

We’re proud to celebrate the people who make the Monash Victorian Heart Institute such a vibrant, collaborative and impact-driven community. Our 2025 end-of-year awards recognise excellence in research and education, outstanding professionalism, and innovative approaches that are advancing cardiovascular health.

Congratulations to all our award recipients and thank you to everyone across institute for an exceptional year.

⭐ Above and Beyond Award - Dr Tharshanah Thayabaranathan
⭐ Future Leaders Award - Dr Rikeish R Muralitharan
⭐ Excellence in Research and Innovation Award - Dr Rosanne Freak-Poli

Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/gGNkpyTE

Too many women are told their heart symptoms are ‘something else’.At a recent women’s heart health session co-hosted by ...
26/11/2025

Too many women are told their heart symptoms are ‘something else’.

At a recent women’s heart health session co-hosted by the Monash Victorian Heart Institute and the Monash Women's Health Alliance, the message was clear: bias is still costing women their lives.

Professor Stephen Nicholls shared a story he hears far too often - women experiencing heart attack symptoms being told it’s stress or anxiety. “I’ve never heard a man tell me that story,” he said.

Cardiologist, Dr Esther Davis, reinforced the impact: women are less likely to be diagnosed early, enrolled in trials or receive guideline-based care. Her work establishing the Women’s Heart Clinic and Research Challenge at the Victorian Heart Hospital is creating change by offering dedicated, evidence-based care tailored to women’s needs.

Every day, 20 Australian women die from cardiovascular disease. Changing that requires greater awareness, more inclusive research and care models that truly see women.

We're working with partners across Monash to help drive that change so women’s symptoms are recognised the first time, not after the damage is done.

🔗 Watch the session: https://lnkd.in/gKbT4-u2

What’s your cholesterol saying? This week (24-30 November) marks Cholesterol Awareness Week - a national campaign to rai...
24/11/2025

What’s your cholesterol saying?

This week (24-30 November) marks Cholesterol Awareness Week - a national campaign to raise the alarm on high cholesterol and the risks it poses.

Too many people treat cholesterol as a “silent” issue, not realising it’s a major driver of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular disease.

At Monash University and through the GOAL-ASIA study, we’re working to turn awareness into action by helping patients and clinicians better understand individual cholesterol risk, know the numbers, and act early.

✅ Know your types: LDL, HDL, triglycerides
✅ Know your numbers: A simple blood test and heart health check can change the conversation
✅ Know your plan: Lifestyle + treatment = better outcomes

If you haven’t had your cholesterol checked recently, now is the time. Talk to your GP, ask about risks, make it part of your heart-health routine.

We're excited to share that Monash University has been named Australia’s top research institution in Cardiology, Heart &...
19/11/2025

We're excited to share that Monash University has been named Australia’s top research institution in Cardiology, Heart & Thoracic Surgery, and Vascular Medicine in The Australian’s 2026 Health & Medical Sciences list.

This recognition is a testament to the strength of our partnerships across Monash University, Monash Health and beyond, with the collective ambition to drive discovery into real-world impact for people living with heart and vascular disease.

Congratulations to our colleagues across Monash, recognised as national leaders in 51 research fields, showcasing the diversity and excellence of the university research ecosystem.

We are proud to contribute to this momentum, advancing cardiovascular research, clinical innovation and translational science that improves outcomes for communities here in Australia and around the world.

🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/gbUpjZSB

Professor Stephen Nicholls joined the Healthy Living radio program, with Dr Ross Walker, yesterday to talk about somethi...
17/11/2025

Professor Stephen Nicholls joined the Healthy Living radio program, with Dr Ross Walker, yesterday to talk about something that genuinely feels like a turning point: Australia’s first-in-human CRISPR gene-editing trial for lipid disorders.

"It almost sounds like science fiction, what we're able to do," he said.

In the interview, Professor Nicholls breaks down:
🔬 How CRISPR works and why this technology is transforming what’s possible in medicine.
🫀 The lipid disorders being targeted and why new therapies are urgently needed.
🧪 How the therapy switches off the ANGPTL3 gene to lower harmful fats in the blood.
📉 What the early results show, including meaningful lipid reductions after a single dose.
🌏 What this could mean for the future of treating heart disease, potentially moving us toward “one-and-done” therapies.

🎧 Listen to the full interview (from 17:30): https://lnkd.in/ghhAnsXA

Supporting patients through knowledge and connection ❤️We’ve launched SPARK — Sharing Positive Advice, Resources and Kno...
16/11/2025

Supporting patients through knowledge and connection ❤️

We’ve launched SPARK — Sharing Positive Advice, Resources and Knowledge — a new Victorian Heart Hospital program designed to help people living with pacemakers or defibrillators feel informed, supported and in control.

Created by experts from the Victorian Heart Institute and Monash Health, SPARK brings patients, families and clinicians together for honest conversations, practical guidance and the chance to connect with others on the same journey.

Our first session held last week focused on how ICD's work, cut through jargon, busted common myths and gave participants clarity and confidence.

🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/gN8PE8Tf

We were excited to join this year’s Sub-Faculty of Clinical and Molecular Medicine Research Symposium — a great day of d...
14/11/2025

We were excited to join this year’s Sub-Faculty of Clinical and Molecular Medicine Research Symposium — a great day of discussion, new ideas and connection across the Monash research community.

Associate Professor Nitesh Nerlekar, VHI Deputy Director, presented work from his trial examining how combining coronary calcium scoring with targeted treatment can slow plaque progression in people with familial coronary artery disease. It’s an important area of research that has real potential to guide more personalised prevention and care.

Thanks to the SF-CaMM team for hosting an engaging program, we look forward to continuing to build strong collaborations across the precinct.

The Victorian Heart Institute is proud to congratulate Director, Professor Stephen Nicholls on being named a 2025 Clariv...
14/11/2025

The Victorian Heart Institute is proud to congratulate Director, Professor Stephen Nicholls on being named a 2025 Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher — marking his continued recognition on this prestigious global list, which he first joined in 2023.

This honour reflects Steve’s sustained international influence in cardiovascular research and the strength of the collaborative ecosystem we are building across Monash University, Monash Health and our partners.

We also warmly acknowledge our long-standing collaborator Professor Helena Teede AM, alongside the many other outstanding Monash researchers whose exceptional contributions have been recognised this year.

As Steve reflects:
“I’m grateful for all of the wonderful collaborations that enable me to be a member of this group. The critical thing is to convert the work into impact.”

At the VHI, this ethos drives everything we do — harnessing discovery, translation and partnership to improve heart health for communities here in Australia and around the world.

🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/gBU2wVSZ

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