Operational leadership team

Professor Steve Nicholls is the inaugural Director of the Victorian Heart Institute and a Professor of Cardiology at Monash University. He is the Program Director of the Victorian Heart Hospital - Australia's first dedicated heart hospital - MonashHeart and Intensive Care at Monash Health.

Steve is a preventive cardiologist. His clinical interest is focused on identifying those at risk of heart disease earlier, and more effectively, and preventing catastrophic cardiovascular events from occurring. He is committed to solutions which improve equity across risk and management, focusing on women’s heart health and other under-served populations.

Steve’s work spans the translational spectrum from the lab bench to the bedside, with a focus on understanding the factors that promote plaque formation, novel vascular imaging and leadership of large-scale clinical trials of new therapies designed to reduce the risk of heart disease. He is also the President of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ).

My goal is to bring together laboratory-based scientists, clinical researchers and clinical trialists to develop translational research programs that will significantly improve our ability to tackle the major challenges of heart disease.

Learn more about Steve's research here.

Our operational leadership team

	Julie Butters Institute Manager MBA, BHSc(Public Health) Julie has more than two decades of experience working in the clinical research sphere and her previous role was to attract and manage operations of new clinical trial and commercial opportunities for the institute, and to establish new relationships with potential partners. As Institute Manager, Julie participates as a key member of the VHI leadership team to drive the sustainability and growth agenda and position the institute as a national and international leader in cardiovascular health. She is well connected internationally to many industry and academic collaborators, has leadership and business training and holds an MBA. Learn more about Julie here. Contact Julie
	Dr Pamu Kularathna Strategy, Innovation and Operations Manager PhD, BSc Pamu is a cross-skilled scientist, veterinarian and a skilled operations manager with a passion for enabling science to deliver positive changes in society. She is excited by the possibilities of science and innovation to deliver better outcomes and solutions to our community. Pamu has experience in research, technical services, project management, operational management, team building, process improvement, collaboration, and business development. Pamu's role is to lead research strategy by enabling collaboration, partnership, acceleration and innovation, contributing to the VHI vision to promote excellence in cardiovascular research. Learn more about Pamu here. Contact Pamu
	Eliza Cobb Visibility, Engagement and Impact Manager BCom(Marketing), BDesign With a background in business, communication and design, Eliza is equal parts creative and calculated. She is passionate about creating strategic communication solutions that deliver a social good, working across the research and not-for-profit sectors. Sitting between science and society, Eliza's role is to support the end-to-end delivery of visibility, engagement and impact activities at the institute. Learn more about Eliza here. Contact Eliza
	Georgia Rejack Partnerships and Training Manager BPsych(Hons), MProfPsych Georgia has managed a range of different projects in the cardiovascular research and education sphere. Georgia’s role at the VHI is to manage and implement a range of educational initiatives within the cardiovascular arena and beyond. Fostering new and existing partnerships is at the forefront of her role to facilitate a portfolio of innovative programs that contribute to the clinical and research workforce of the future. Learn more about Georgia here. Contact Georgia
	Domenic Sacca Clinical Trials Operations Manager BPharmSc Domenic manages a specialised team who are responsible for facilitating the conduct and operationalisation of local, national and multinational Industry Sponsored and Investigator Initiated clinical trials across various hospital sites in Australia and the Asia Pacific. Clinical trials coordinated at the institute span from early phase (Phase I) through to later phase/implementation science trials. Dom's role is to ensure that each trial is conducted in accordance with relevant national and international standards and guidelines. Dom is committed to the collaborative nature the institute embodies by working with world-class researchers to conduct high quality, patient-centric clinical trials to tackle cardiovascular disease. Learn more about Dom here. Contact Dom