Speaker: Professor Ben Freedman, Professor of Cardiology, University of Sydney
Title: Screening for atrial fibrillation to prevent stroke – just keep looking
Chair: Dr Yuliy Chirkov, Principal Medical Scientist, Cardiovascular Disease, Pathogenesis and Therapeutics Group, Level 2 Basil Hetzel Institute
Speaker Biography: Professor Ben Freedman is Deputy Director Cardiovascular Strategy at Sydney’s Heart Research Institute and Charles Perkins Centre. He is Professor of Cardiology at the University of Sydney and former head of Department of Cardiology Concord Hospital. He is also Adjunct Professor in the School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine at Monash University, and Honorary Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne. He was Deputy Dean of Sydney Medical School for 9 years from 2003-12, and received the Faculty’s inaugural Distinguished Service Award in 2012. He also heads Vascular Biology at Anzac Research Institute. His research interests are broad but now focus on atrial fibrillation: his group’s work on screening was nominated as a finalist in the Australian Innovation award in 2013. With four others, he formed the AF-SCREEN International Collaboration which now has over 90 members from 26 countries, including many of the foremost names in AF research. He has authored over 180 publications. In 2002 he was scientific chairman of the successful World Congress of Cardiology. He holds Fellowships of RACP, CSANZ, ACC, AHA and ESC. For many years he has been on the editorial board, and regular interviewer for ACCEL, the continuing education vehicle of the American College of Cardiology. In 2011 he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for service to medicine as a clinician, educator and researcher.
