ASTRA 2025

Robert M. Graham

Invited Speaker

Professor Robert (Bob) M. Graham received his medical training and doctoral degree with honours from the University of NSW, where he is the Des Renford Professor of Medicine. After 17 years in the US, where he worked at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Cleveland Clinic, he returned to Australia as the inaugural Executive Director, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute (VCCRI), a position he held from 1994 to 2020. He continues there as Head, Molecular Cardiology Laboratory. He maintains an active research program  with particular focus on cardiac regeneration and the genetics and pathophysiology of coronary artery diseases.

He is a Fellow, Australian Academy of Science (AAS) ; Foundation Fellow, Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, and Corresponding Member, Royal Danish Academy of Sciences. In 2021, he co-founded Infensa Bioscience with Glenn King, aimed at developing first-in-class cardio- and neuroprotective agents. He is a Non-Executive Director of Infensa Bioscience, and the Lowy Medical Research Institute, and Chairman, Institute of Molecular Bioscience’s (Uni Queensland) Advisory Board. He is also Vice-President and Secretary for the Biological Sciences, Australian Academy of Science.