University of Adelaide heart specialist receives US honour

Highly respected University of Adelaide heart specialist Professor Prash Sanders has been awarded the prestigious Distinguished Clinical Scientist of the Year Award from the Heart Rhythm Society in the United States.

The Distinguished Scientist Award category recognises individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of scientific knowledge in cardiac pacing and/or cardiac electrophysiology.

Professor Sanders was presented with the honour at a ceremony in Boston on Saturday 18 May. The Heart Rhythm Society has described his research as wide-ranging, transformative and paradigm changing. He is the only Australian to receive the award.

“I am truly honoured and grateful to receive this recognition for my research into atrial fibrillation. My goal has always been to improve the lives of patients with heart rhythm disorders, and I hope to continue working with my research team to find more effective treatments,” said Professor Sanders, who is the Director of the University’s Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders and the Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology and Pacing at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Professor Sanders has dedicated his career to better understanding and treating heart rhythm disorders, including atrial fibrillation - a condition which affects around half a million Australians and more than two million people in the United States.

The work of Professor Sanders and his team of clinicians and researchers has led to major changes to the way atrial fibrillation is managed, including recognising the need to manage risk factors in patients with atrial fibrillation.

“Professor Prash Sanders is the ultimate clinician-scientist. Our most recent atrial fibrillation guidelines relied heavily on the results of his prospective and randomised studies,” said Dr Mina K Chung, Vice President of the Heart Rhythm Society.

“Moreover, Professor Sanders has been a wonderful mentor and guided multitudes of very productive trainees, many of whom have gone on to have successful leading careers in cardiac electrophysiology themselves.”

This is the latest accolade for Professor Sanders, who has received numerous awards throughout his career, including the Clarivate High Cite Researcher Award 2023 and the 2020 Royal Australasian College of Physicians Eric Susman Prize for best contribution to the knowledge of any branch of internal medicine in Australia.

The Heart Rhythm Society is based in the United States and is the international leader in science, education and advocacy for cardiac arrhythmia professionals and patients, and the primary information resource on heart rhythm disorders. Its mission is to improve the care of patients by promoting research, education and optimal health care policies and standards.