HEART OF AUSTRALIA RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Clinical Trials
Though there is more being done today to bring greater access to healthcare services in rural, remote, and First Nations communities, Australians living in these areas are often still excluded from participating in clinical trials due to a number of barriers such as distance, cultural differences, geographic isolation, and workforce capacity.
In 2024 Heart of Australia launched the Heart of Australia Research Institute (HARI) to help facilitate the inclusion of country patients into clinical trials, giving them an equal chance of accessing innovative treatments and solutions not yet available to the general public.
HARI is currently helping to deliver two ongoing clinical trials in rural Queensland with the support of our partners and research team members.
HARI Team Members
Investigators
Dr Rolf Gomes
BE | MBBS | FRACP
Founder & Director of Heart of Australia,
General Cardiologist
Assoc. Prof Karam Kostner
MD, PhD, FRACP, FCSANZ
Director of Cardiology at Mater Health Services
Dr Alexander Dashwood
BM, BSc, FRACP, MRCP (UK)
General Cardiologist & Cardiac Electrophysiologist
Dr Karthikeyan Gopal
MBBS | FRACP | FCSANZ
General, Coronary and Structural Interventional Cardiologist
Coordinators
Melissa Riedy
Senior Project Manager, Clinical Trials
Maria Abrigo
Trial Coordinator
Active Trials
Research Trial 1
This trial will investigate the effect of lipoprotein (a) {Lp(a)} lowering treatment on the reduction of major cardiovascular events in patients with elevated Lp(a) levels.
Research Trial 2
This trial will assess morbidity and mortality on patients with heart failure (HF) with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF) or HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) following a once monthly subcutaneous injection.