AuSCAA
Sudden cardiac arrests can be unpredictable but they are not inevitable.
AuSCAA's strength lies not only in the groups that form our alliance, but in the amplification of their singular voices and talents to one common call to action.
From the moment we created the Alliance in 2022, we understood that by working together we could overcome our common challenges more efficiently, and that is why we ultimately decided to launch AuSCAA.
We strive to make a positive change in every aspect of the prevention of sudden cardiac death, from research to rehabilitation.
A new approach, a circle of hope
The Circle of Hope encapsulates AuSCAA's goals in research, discovery, awareness, advocacy, and implementation.
AuSCAA will prevent cardiac arrest and double survival rates through education, improved emergency response, cutting-edge research, and community collaboration.
These people are men and women, young and old and often they are fit and otherwise healthy people with no diagnosed heart problems.
Currently only between five and ten percent of people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest survive the event, with their passing creating a devastating impact, to their families, their communities and the economy. When these deaths are of young people, the impact is felt most strongly.
Sudden cardiac arrests can be unpredictable but they are not inevitable.
AuSCAA chair
Prof. André La Gerche
An expert in sports cardiology and cardiac imaging, Professor André La Gerche heads the Heart, Exercise and Research Trials (HEART) Lab, supported by the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and the St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research. He is also a cardiologist at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. Learn more about André here.
About us
AuSCAA in an incorporated association formed with the support of the Dennerstein Foundation and EndUCD (End Unexplained Cardiac Death) and is an organising committee made up of members from the founding groups of the Alliance.
Each committee member is an expert in their field and/or has crucial lived experience with sudden cardiac arrest.
Founding members of the expanding alliance include:
Prof. Janet Bray Aus-ROC
Le Smith National Heart Foundation
Prof. Jamie Vandenberg Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute
A/ Prof Jodie Ingles Garvan Institute of Medical Research
Gordon Thoms
Prof. Tony Walker ASM
A/ Prof. Elizabeth Paratz St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research