Associate Professor Aaron Sverdlov

Associate Professor Aaron Sverdlov is a cardiologist and clinician-scientist with proven track record in basic through to clinical research. His research interests encompass a broad spectrum of topics related to heart failure and cardio-oncology (cardiovascular complications of cancer therapies).

Personal statement

I am committed to improving management and outcomes for patients with heart failure through better understanding of mechanisms involved and discovering novel biomarkers and therapies.

Biography

Dr Sverdlov received his medical degree (MBBS) from the University of Adelaide, Australia in 2000. Then he completed his post-graduate training in general medicine and cardiology, including serving as a Chief Medical Resident for 2 years. He was admitted to the Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP) in December 2007, and then appointed staff specialist in cardiology at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Lyell McEwin Hospital from February 2008.

Aaron Sverdlov was awarded his PhD in 2012 from University of Adelaide under supervision of Prof John Horowitz. His doctoral work was on pathogenesis of aortic valve disease: Aaron led the aortic valve stenosis group at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and provided the first evidence in humans that progression of aortic stenosis is amenable to treatment with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors. He was then awarded an NHMRC CJ Martin Fellowship, and later AHA Postdoctoral Fellowship to undertake postdoctoral work with Prof WS Colucci at Boston University (2012-15). There he studied mechanisms regulating cardiac function and energetics in models of obesity-induced heart disease. He proved that mitochondrial ROS play a key pathogenic role in metabolic heart disease and identified novel reactive cysteines in mitochondrial complex II that modulate its function and lead to cardiac energetic impairment. He was also involved in describing a new method for quantitation of FDG PET/CT in cardiac sarcoidosis: this work has been heavily cited and this method has been adopted by a number of institutions. Aaron's postdoctoral work gained him a reputation as an expert and leader in mitochondrial redox field. 

Upon return to Australia in 2015, in partnership with his wife, A/Prof Doan Ngo, he established and co-led Cardiometabolic research group as part of the Cardiovascular Program led by Prof John Horowitz at the Basil Hetzel Institute.

Aaron relocated to Newcastle in 2017 where he was appointed as an Associate Professor and Director of Heart Failure at the University of Newcastle. He has a Clinical Academic appointment as a cardiologist at the John Hunter Hospital and is a Clinical Lead of Heart Failure Services for Hunter New England Local Health District.

Aaron has been awarded 4-year Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship for his research program "Bench-to-bedside approach to improving management and outcomes for patients with heart failure" commencing in January 2018.

Together with A/Prof Doan Ngo, Aaron has established the first-in-Australia bench-to-bedside "Cancer and the Heart" program combining basic and clinical research into cancer therapy-related cardiotoxicity with Calvary Mater Newcastle Hospital-based clinical outpatient service. This program is a collaboration between Cancer Network, Cardiology, Oncology, Haematology and Radiation oncology departments and is supported by the grants from the Heart Foundation of Australia and NSW Ministry of Health.

In November 2018, Aaron was a recipient of a Ministerial Award for Rising Stars in Cardiovascular Research.

Research Expertise

Aaron Sverdlov's research encompasses a full spectrum of translation from bench to bedside and service delivery.  He has a basic and translational lab at the Hunter Medical Research Institute and shares a research lab with A/Prof Doan Ngo on the Callaghan Campus. His clinical research is at the John Hunter Hospital, Calvary Mater Newcastle and other sites across the Health District. 

Broad goals of Aaron's research program are to improve care and health outcomes for patients with heart disease through better understanding of mechanisms responsible for development of heart failure, prevention and early detection of heart disease through development of novel biomarkers and improved delivery of healthcare by dedicated and integrated multidisciplinary approach.

Aaron's specific research interests directions are:

- mechanisms underlying development of heart failure, especially heart failure due to obesity and diabetes

- role of mitochondria and redox stress in heart failure

- mechanisms of development of cancer therapy-mediated cardiotoxicity

- role of novel biomarkers in early detection of various forms of heart disease

- basic and clinical factors reponsible for development and progression of aortic valve disease

- development and evaluation of integrated multidisciplinary heart failure service incorporating research and innovation

- development and evaluation of cardio-oncology clinical and translational program

- evaluation of new treatment options for patients with obesity, heart failure and chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity

Across these projects Aaron has a number of local, national and international collaborators.

Track record, peer review and service to the field

Aaron has over 50 career (since 2008) peer-reviewed publications and 4 book chapters (including chapters on Oxidative Stress in Heart Failure in the textbook “Heart Failure: A Companion to Braunwald’s Heart Disease”) with over 1100 citations and has had more than 80 presentations at international and national meetings. He received over 30 competitive grants, with >20 in the last 5 years (total >$2.5M AUD).

Aaron Sverdlov serves on the NHMRC's ECF Biomedical Panel (2015-6), NHMRC Cardiovascular Diseases GRP (2016-7) and NHMRC Ideas Grant Panel (2019); Heart Foundation of Australia Future Leader Fellowship (2019) and Postdoctoral Fellowships Committees (2017-8); Hunter New England Local Health District TRGS EOI review panel (2017); American Heart Association Cardiac Biology Program Peer Review Committee (2017-9) and Rebecca Cooper Medical Research Foundation grant advisory panel (2016). 

He is also a reviewer for the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), Australian Research Council (ARC), Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ), Medical Research Council (UK), Croatian Science Foundation, Diabetes Australia, Medical Research Council UK (MRC), Singapore Ministry of Health and Society for Redox Biology and Medicine (SFRBM). 

Aaron is an Associate Editor for Heart Lung and Circulation and is on editorial board of Hypertension and Reactive Oxygen Species. He is a regular reviewer for multiple leading cardiovascular, pharmacology and basic science journals including Circulation Research, JACC, Hypertension, JMCC, International Journal of Cardiology, Antioxidant Redox Signaling, Cardiovascular Therapeutics and British Journal of Pharmacology.

Teaching and Education

Aaron has been involved in undergraduate teaching in medicine at the University of Newcastle and University of Adelaide as well as Boston University, USA. He supervised numerous clinical students and physician trainees especially in his capacity as the Chief Medical Resident. As a postdoctoral fellow at the Boston University he supervised and mentored honours, PhD and MD/PhD students. Currently he co-supervises 4 PhD, 4 honours students  and 1 postdoctoral fellow across University of Newcastle, University of Adelaide and Flinders University of SA. He is involved in professional education of general practitioners and physicians in community and hospital settings.

Collaborations

In addition to multiple collaborations within University of Newcastle, HMRI and Hunter New England Local Health District, Aaron has active research collaborations with University of Adelaide, Flinders University of SA, University of Sydney, Boston University (USA) and University of East Anglia (UK).