Clinical Academic Groups

With a multi-disciplinary leadership team that draws from the strength of the Partnership, our Clinical Academic Groups focus on networking, capacity building and research translation.

Sydney Health Partners believes that improving the translation of research evidence into sustained clinical practice requires more effective collaborations between researchers and clinicians. In 2021, we established the first six Sydney Health Partners Clinical Academic Groups.

While each of our CAGs are unique, all are primarily focused on building capacity and capability, ensuring community and consumer involvement in research, fostering collaboration, and improving impact and competitiveness in research translation. Each CAG is united around a clinical problem or population group, and is working towards a key collaborative project.

Cardiovascular

Chairs: Professor Clara Chow & Professor Gemma Figtree

Working across SHP and the Cardiovascular Initiative (CVI) to provide a health system linked platform that brings together pre-clinical and clinical research hubs to facilitate outstanding researchers and clinicians.

Leadership Team

  • Prof David Celermajer
  • Prof Leonard Kritharides
  • Prof David Brieger
  • Prof Chris Semsarian
  • Prof Julie Redfern
  • Prof Robyn Gallagher
  • Dr Rebecca Kozor
  • A/Prof Saurabh Kumar
  • Dr Sanjay Patel
  • Dr Sean Lal

Disciplines represented in leadership team: Cardiology, Physiotherapy, Nursing

SHP Organisations: Centenary Institute, Heart Research Institute, Kolling Institute, NSLHD, SLHD, WSLHD, University of Sydney

Geriatric Medicine

Chair: Profesor Sarah Hilmer

Building capacity to provide research informed care for older people in hospital, at transitions of care and in the community (including residential aged care).

Leadership Team

  • Prof Vasi Naganathan
  • Prof Richard Lindley
  • Prof Susan Kurrle
  • A/Prof Danijela Gnjidic
  • Prof Fiona Blyth
  • A/Prof Melissa Baysari
  • Dr Lisa Kouladjian O’Donnell
  • Dr Janani Thillainadesan

Disciplines represented in leadership team: Geriatric Medicine, Pharmacology, Public Health, Digital Health, Allied Health

SHP Organisations: Kolling Institute, NSLHD, SLHD, WSLHD, University of Sydney

Perioperative Care of Surgical Patients

Chair: Dr Sarah Joy Aitken

Facilitating patient-focused, equitable, and value-based surgical care through critical evaluation of current perioperative practices and implementation of evidence-based models of care to prevent adverse surgical outcomes in at-risk patient populations.

Leadership Team

  • Prof Michael Solomon
  • Prof Thomas Hugh
  • Prof Henry Pleass
  • Dr Sue Monaro
  • Prof Rob Sanders
  • A/Prof Nicole Philips
  • Prof Vasi Naganathan
  • Dr Janani Thillainadesan
  • Dr Angus Richie
  • Dr Kate McBride

Disciplines represented in leadership team: Surgery, Nursing, Anaesthetics, Geriatric Medicine, Medical Information and Administration

SHP Organisations: NSLHD, SLHD, WSLHD, University of Sydney

Sydney Cancer Partners

Chair: Professor Anna DeFazio

Strengthening the focus on connections between research activity and real-world clinical service delivery.  Building capacity for research that is focused in areas with the potential for highest clinical impact and consumer need, with clear pathways to implementation of innovative therapies and improvements in practice.

Sydney Cancer Partners was established in 2021 through a $7 milllion Cancer Institute NSW Translational Cancer Research Capacity Building Grant awarded to Sydney Health Partners.

Leadership Team

  • Prof Rosemary Balleine
  • A/Prof Ilona Cunningham
  • Dr Luciano Dalla-Pozza
  • Prof Alexander Engel
  • Prof Paul Harnett
  • Prof Lisa Horvath
  • Prof Geraldine O’Neill
  • Prof Roger Reddel
  • Prof Tim Shaw

Disciplines represented in leadership team: Cancer service disciplines including medical oncology, surgery, haematology, pathology and paediatric oncology; translational and basic research; and Implementation Science and Digital Health

SHP Organisations: Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, NSLHD, SLHD, WSLHD, University of Sydney, Children’s Cancer Research Unit, Children’s Medical Research Institute, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, WIMR

Sydney Musculoskeletal

Chairs: Professor Cathie Sherrington & Professor Manuela Ferreira

Facilitating research translation to improve musculoskeletal health across SHP by identifying issues of importance to health services and develop, implement and test solutions within clinical services.

Leadership Team

  • Prof Ian Cameron
  • Prof Vasi Naganathan
  • Dr Bethan Richards
  • Dr Andrew Ellis
  • Prof Andreas Zankl
  • A/Prof Michael Dinh
  • Dr Gustavo Machado
  • Dr Christina Abdel Shaheed
  • Dr Jillian Eyles

Disciplines represented in leadership team: Physiotherapy, Geriatric Medicine, Rheumatology, Rehabilitation, Orthopaedic Surgery, Genetics, Emergency Medicine, Pharmacy, Public Health

SHP Organisations: University of Sydney, Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, NSLHD, SLHD

Virtual Care

Chairs: Professor Tim Shaw & Professor Clara Chow

Identifying priority implementation research questions in virtual care to address the research gaps and support the expansion of evidence-based virtual care across SHP acute and chronic disease services.

Leadership Team

  • Dr Owen Hutchings
  • Dr Paul Collett
  • Dr Geoff Mifsud
  • Ms Nadine Shaw
  • Dr Angus Richie
  • Mr Aaron Jones
  • Mr Richard Taggart
  • A/Prof Mel Baysari
  • Dr Liliana Laranjo
  • Dr Sarah Norris

Disciplines represented in leadership team: Digital Health, Cardiology, Clinical Services, Medical Information and Administration, Evaluation, Health Economics and policy, and Consumer Engagement

SHP Organisations: Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, SLHD, NSLHD, WSLHD, University of Sydney