SAFER-AUS Central Team
Professor Ben Freedman – Australian Lead Investigator
Professor Freedman is a research cardiologist, Director of External Affairs at the Heart Research Institute (HRI), Charles Perkins Centre in Sydney, and Group leader of the Heart Rhythm and Stroke Prevention group at the HRI. He has an appointment as an Honorary Professor at the University of Sydney Professor Freedman is a leading researcher in screening for atrial fibrillation (AF) to prevent stroke, and is the most published author in AF screening. In 2015 he formed AF-SCREEN International Collaboration with 5 others. It now has over 200 members from 40 countries, and includes many of the foremost names in AF research. The group has published 4 white papers/Frontier Reviews in Circulation. His current research is focused on screening for AF in primary care, and ensuring the best management to prevent stroke.
Dr Nicole Lowres
Dr Nicole Lowres is a Chief Investigator for the SAFER-AUS trial and a Senior Research Fellow at the Heart Research Institute. Her research interests include atrial fibrillation, secondary prevention of cardiac disease, and digital health. Over the past 10 years, Nicole has become one of Australia’s leading researchers in screening for atrial fibrillation. She has led numerous Australian screening studies using digital technology in general practice, pharmacy, and hospital settings. Nicole has collaborated extensively with international research groups, and assisted with atrial fibrillation screening studies in Vietnam, China, Japan, and Thailand. Nicole brings her wealth of experience in screening, atrial fibrillation, and managing studies to the SAFER-AUS study.
SAFER-AUS Tasmanian Team
Professor Mark Nelson – TAS State Lead
Professor Nelson is Professor and Chair of the Discipline of General Practice at the University of Tasmania. He is an experience trialist with focus on primary care and research into diseases of the aging population. Professor Nelson is a principal investigator the ASPREE trial, one of the largest trials conducted in Australia. He brings his extensive experience of general practice research to this study.
SAFER-AUS New South Wales Team
A/Prof. Charlotte Hespe – NSW State Lead
Charlotte Hespe is an Academic and Clinical GP based in Sydney, NSW. She is a Professor and Head of GP and Primary Care Research at the University of Notre Dame, Australia. She is actively involved with the RACGP, local GP Networks, Medical Education (through undergraduate, postgraduate and Registrar supervision and lectures) and GP research. Charlotte is currently Chair of NSW/ACT Faculty Council RACGP, Board Director and Chair of the People Culture Nominations and Remuneration Committee for RACGP nationally. Charlotte is passionate about the crucial role of GPs in the Australian health care system. Charlotte is a vocal advocate for delivering high-quality, value-based care and improving health outcomes in the Australian setting. She has completed a PhD on the Implementation of Best Practice guidelines in the real world of Australian General Practice–using CVD preventive care as the topic for the opportunity to improve.
Dr Katrina Giskes
Dr Katrina Giskes is a GP and Research Fellow at the University of Notre Dame/Heart Research Institute. She successfully led the AF SELF SMART study which developed and implemented atrial fibrillation self-screening stations in GP waiting rooms. Dr Giskes completed her medical training at the University of Sydney. Prior to her medical studies, Dr Giskes trained as a Dietitian/Nutritionist and worked as a research fellow in public health for 10+ years in Australia and internationally. Her PhD (completed in 2003) was the first population-based study in Australia to document socioeconomic inequalities in diet. She was awarded an NHMRC Sidney Sax international post-doctoral fellowship (2004-2008) and worked on various projects relating to socioeconomic health inequalities at Erasmus University in the Netherlands. She has also lectured in research methods and Nutrition and Dietetics and has supervised a number of PhD students to completion. Dr Giskes is keen to apply her research skills in the primary care setting to develop screening opportunities and systems to detect asymptomatic atrial fibrillation in older adults, and thereby reduce the incidence of avoidable strokes.
SAFER-AUS Western Australian Team
Professor Chris Reid – WA State Lead
Christopher Reid is a cardiovascular epidemiologist and clinical trialist with appointments as Research Professor in both the School of Population Health at Curtin University and the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University. He was re-appointed as a John Curtin Distinguished Professor in 2021 and is currently Director of the Monash and Curtin Centre’s of Cardiovascular Research and Education (CCRE). His research interests focus on cardiovascular outcome trials and registries and has received over $178M as a Chief Investigator and has over 650 publications with many in the worlds premier clinical journals including NEJM, JAMA and the Lancet.
Ms Sue Critchley
Sue is a registered nurse who has extensive experience in the conduct and management of clinical trials across a variety of settings and therapeutic areas. Her experience includes all phase trials, with a particular focus on cardiovascular outcomes trials in general practice.