Conjoint Prof. Christopher ( Chris ) Levi

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (Hons), University of New South Wales, 1983
• Bachelor of Medical Science, University of New South Wales, 1981

---

Research

Research keywords

• Acute stroke therapies
• Brain imaging
• Hypothermia
• Stroke genetics
• Transcranial Doppler

Research expertise

Clinical research across the domains of observational epidemiology (case control studies, cohort studies, prevalence and incident studies), interventional clinical trials (trials in antithrombotic therapy in stroke prevention, acute stroke therapy trials), health services work (cluster randomised trials of health services interventions, health service redesign), brain imaging research (neurovascular ultrasound particularly transcranial Doppler embolus protection, multi-module CT imaging and MRI brain imaging).

Research activities have been spread approximately equally across the above domains with an emphasis on clinical trials and stroke imaging.

Collaboration

Director of the Priority Centre for Brain & Mental Health Research, overseeing the Stroke Research Program along with programs investigating Schizophrenia, Affective and Addictive disorders, Pain, Development, Aging & Cognition and Translation & Models of Care in Mental Health.

Stroke researcher with principle interests in brain vascular imaging, acute stroke therapies and stroke genetics. He leads the NHMRC funded Australian Stroke Genetics Collaborative, is also Principal Investigator on the recently completed NHMRC funded national multicentre phase III clinical trial Dextran In Carotid Endarterectomy (DICE), and Chief Investigator and Steering Committee member on the recently completed NHF and NHMRC funded MRI based acute stroke thrombolysis trial EPITHET. He is Chief Investigator on two current NHMRC funded acute stroke trials (IST3, 457343; Tenecteplase in acute ischaemic stroke, 510722) and the NHF funded Cerebral Hypothermia in Ischaemic Lesion (CHIL) trial. The past five years has seen increasing involvement in implementation and health systems research in stroke where he is CI on two current NHMRC project grants (353803, 510275) investigating novel models of enhanced stroke unit care and enhanaced delivery of stroke thrombolysis.

He is a Honorary Senior Research Fellow for Florey Neurosciences Institite (FNI), University of Melbourne and has strong and ongoing collaborations with FNI. His leadership of statewide and national stroke health services research project have led to the formation of collaborative networks across Australian academic stroke neurology.

The overarching research effort in stroke is aimed at the disovery and translation of experimental stroke therapies into the clinical domain, the discovery of new genetic variants relevant to stroke occurrence and outcome, and the implementation of effective stroke therapies.

Languages

• English

Fields of Research

Code	Description	Percentage
110900	Neurosciences	70
111799	Public Health And Health Services Not Elsewhere Classified	30

Centres and Groups

Centre

• Hunter Medical Research Institute
• PRC - Priority Research Centre for Translational Neuroscience and Mental Health (CTNMH)

Group

• Hunter Medical Research Institute - Brain and Mental Health

Memberships

Body relevant to professional practice.

• Member - Sttroke Society of Australasia
• Advises the Federal Health Minister on matters pertinent to public health - Expert advisory sub-committee Aust Population Health Development Principle Committee

Appointments

Serving Member Hunter Area Research Ethics Committee (Australia)

01/01/1999 - 01/12/2002

Awards

Research Award.

2005	Dudley Homer Vose Research Award Heart Foundation of Australia (Australia)

Invitations

Cholesterol and Stroke World Congress of Neurology, Australia (Conference Presentation - non published.)

2005

---

Administrative

Administrative expertise

Current Administrative Appointments

• Director, Priority Research Centre for Brain and Mental Health, University of Newcastle, Hunter Medical Research Institute with responsibility for oversight of the six programs of research within the centre.

• Director, Acute Stroke Services, John Hunter Hospital with responsibility for the operational management of the Acute Stroke Service including the Stroke Unit and acute stroke interventional team.
• Member, Clinical Council, National Stroke Foundation. Responsible for medical advice, medial liaison, Board presentations, strategic planning and policy directions setting for the national peak non-government organisation for stroke.

Previous Admin Expertise

• Director of Operations Acute Hospital Network, Hunter New England Health, December 2005 March 2006. Responsible for operations of all acute hospitals across the Hunter New England Area Health Service.
• Chairman, Division of Medicine, John Hunter Hospital with responsibility for operational and strategic management of eight departments of Medicine across a tertiary referral hospital
• Co-Chairman Australasian Stroke Unit Network a sub-committee of the Stroke Society of Australasia. Responsible for coordination, policy and strategic planning for this national multidisciplinary professional grouping. Involved in the organisation of stroke care and rollout of stroke units.

---

Teaching

Teaching keywords

• Basic Neurosciences
• Neurology
• Stroke

Teaching expertise

Undergraduate

Undergraduate teaching in the form of formal lectures, small group tutorials, bedside tutorials and one on one clinical teaching on clinical wards and outpatients clinics.

Postgraduate

Formal lectures, small group tutorials bedside tutorials and formal mentoring of FRACP candidates.