UNSW Academics Recognized at 2025 CVRN Ministerial Awards for Cardiovascular Research
Three academics affiliated with the University of New South Wales (UNSW) received awards at the 2025 Cardiovascular Research Network (CVRN) Ministerial Awards for Cardiovascular Research. The awards acknowledge significant contributions to the field, including advancements in the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, and renal disease. Professor Anthony Rodgers received the Ministerial Award for Cardiovascular Research Excellence, while Scientia Associate Professor Thanh Nho Do and Dr. Yashutosh Joshi were recognized with "Rising Star" awards.
Awards Ceremony Details
The 2025 CVRN Ministerial Awards for Cardiovascular Research were presented in Sydney on February 23, 2026, during the NSW Cardiovascular Research Network (CVRN) Showcase and Awards Ceremony. The Hon. David Harris MP presented the awards. These awards acknowledge contributions to cardiovascular disease research across various areas, including diabetes, stroke, and renal disease. Academics associated with UNSW received three of the four awards presented, highlighting their significant impact.
Professor Anthony Rodgers: Cardiovascular Research Excellence
Professor Anthony Rodgers, affiliated with The George Institute for Global Health and UNSW Medicine & Health, received the Ministerial Award for Cardiovascular Research Excellence. This prestigious award recognized his career-long contributions to cardiovascular disease research, spanning over 30 years, and his vital work in preventing cardiovascular disease and addressing global health inequality.
Professor Rodgers' distinguished career includes authorship of more than 600 peer-reviewed publications in journals such as The Lancet, JAMA, NEJM, and BMJ. He has also secured over $100 million in competitive grants.
A significant development led by Professor Rodgers is a low-dose triple combination pill for hypertension. This innovative therapy received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and was included on the World Health Organization (WHO) Essential Medicines List in 2025. In the TRIDENT trial, the therapy impressively demonstrated a 40% reduction in the risk of a secondary stroke event.
To further support global accessibility of this critical therapy, George Medicines, an Institute spin-off, has successfully raised $70 million.
His additional contributions include supervising 18 PhD students and leading MAGNET, Australia's first national adult mental-health trials network.
Scientia Associate Professor Thanh Nho Do: Rising Star in Cardiovascular Research
Scientia Associate Professor Thanh Nho Do, from the School of Biomedical Engineering at UNSW Engineering, was awarded the 2025 Ministerial Award for Rising Star in Cardiovascular Research. Associate Professor Do was recognized for his groundbreaking developments in bio-robotics and his leadership of the UNSW Medical Robotics Lab.
His developments include:
- A flexible robot designed for 3D-printing living materials inside the body to repair damaged organs.
- An ultra-thin catheter intended for deep brain access for clot removal in stroke and aneurysm treatment.
- An external bionic heart sleeve that assists failing hearts in pumping without direct blood contact, aiming to reduce infection risk.
- A soft robotic artificial heart engineered to replicate heart motion and blood flow, utilized for testing new medical devices and supporting patient selection for treatment.
Dr. Yashutosh Joshi: PhD Rising Star in Cardiovascular Research
Dr. Yashutosh Joshi, affiliated with the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, received the Ministerial Award for PhD Rising Star in Cardiovascular Research. His research focused on optimizing donor heart preservation to increase the quantity and quality of hearts available for transplantation.
Dr. Joshi's work identified new time points that influence recipient survival. He also discovered that blood thinners and a spider-venom derived peptide (Hi1a) could significantly improve the protection of donor hearts, potentially increasing transplantation opportunities for more patients. Dr. Joshi is currently a cardiothoracic surgery trainee.