The Australian Stroke & Heart Research Accelerator (ASHRA) was established in early 2022 as part of the Targeted Translation Research Accelerator – a program delivered by MTPConnect for the Medical Research Future Fund.

This is a research centre with a difference. Lead by Australia’s foremost heart and stroke researchers, ASHRA is aiming to transform the field of cardiovascular and stroke research in Australia by bringing a new sector-wide focus on clinical impact and entrepreneurship.

ASHRA’s Director, Professor Clara Chow in Sydney and ASHRA’s Deputy Director Professor Stephen Nicholls in Melbourne, join host Caroline Duell to discuss why a research accelerator of this kind is needed, how ASHRA’s pioneering model is bringing together a likeminded academic and clinical community to drive change, and how they are collaborating with industry to deliver improved outcomes for Australians.

Professor Clara Chow is a distinguished cardiologist and clinical researcher, Professor of Medicine at the University of Sydney and serves as the Academic Director of the Westmead Applied Research Centre.

Professor Stephen Nicholls is a world-renowned cardiologist, inaugural Director of the Victorian Heart Institute and a Professor of Cardiology at Monash University. He also leads the Victorian Heart Hospital (VHH) - Australia's first dedicated heart hospital.

This is the first episode in series on ASHRA.