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The 40th anniversary of the heart foundation of Australia
Asia Pacific Heart J 1999;8(3)
Editorial The 40th Anniversary Of The Heart Foundation Of Australia
I
t is a pleasure to introduce this supplement commemorating the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Heart Foundation in February 1959. A joint venture between The Asia Pacific Heart Journal and the Heart Foundation, this supplement has been strongly ‘supported by the Foundation’s Director of Health, Medical and Scientific Affairs, Andrew Tonkin.
standards, is critical to the Australian cardiovascular research effort. For comparison, the Astra Company in Australia has spent $42 million over the past 3 years funding a search for new pharmaceuticals from natural sources. The Heart Foundation spreads its largesse over a wide range of initiatives ranging from vacation scholarships for students to chairs of cardiology. The program of grants-in-aid has an important multiplier effect in allowing researchers to initiate a project and then garner further funds from other sources.
A grant from the Foundation has made possible the distribution of this commemorative issue to the widest possible constituency of the cardiological and cardiac surgical community. Much of the credit for the preparation of the supplement goes to Meryl Fullerton of the Journal, to Susanne Hatherley of the Heart Foundation and to the many contributors.
“What would the National Heart Foundation do with an extra $6 million?’ is the intriguing question posed by Lawrie Beilin, Honorary Director of the West Australian Heart Research Institute and Chairman of the Foundation’s Cardiovascular Health Advisory Committee. His innovative answer is to establish a “virtual” cardiovascular research institute, an institute without walls. Such an initiative could bring together geographically separated researchers who would be encouraged, commissioned and funded to carry out multicentre and interdisciplinary research - a challenging idea. The fist step is to find $6 million.
Dr Ralph Reader, the first Medical Director (1961-70) and then Director (1970-80) of the Foundation, has provided a fascinating personal history of the organisation’s development in the first 20 years. In those early days Dr Reader almost was the Foundation. the Medical Director of James Gardiner, Cardiovascular Services (1954-59) at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, has provided a vignette of a little-known event leading up to the Heart Foundation receiving its first donation. The landmark gift to the Australasian Heart Fund, established by James Gardiner in 1957, was prompted by the first successful open-heart operation in Australia carried out by Ken Morris at the Alfred in the same year. Subsequently, moneys from this fund gave the inaugural appeal of the Heart Foundation a flying start.
In his second article Andrew Tonkin and colleagues overview the current state of cardiovascular health in Australia as seen by the National Health Priority Committee. Focussing on six areas of concern, the Committee has made recommendations to the Federal Government for funding priorities for further improving the cardiovascular health of Australians. These recommendations have been made against a background of the halving of cardiovascular mortality rates achieved in Australia in recent years.
In his first article, Andrew Tonkin, the present Director of Health, Medical and Scientific Affairs, has provided an overview of the entire activities of the Heart Foundation and has given his vision for the way ahead. Noting the progressive ageing of Australia’s population and the fact that cardiovascular disease is Australia’s major public health burden, he indicates a need for substantial input across the broad health-disease spectrum in order to address effectively both environmental and genetic causes of disease.
Conclusion The National Heart Foundation has done much to improve the state of cardiovascular health in Australia over the past four decades. Despite some improvements in funding, securing funds for cardiovascular research is still difficult. Cardiac surgeons feel this particularly. Although philanthropy in Australia has improved, it lags behind some other countries, and much hard work will be necessary to substantially raise the funding base for cardiovascular research over the next 40 years.
Philip Barter, Chair of the Heart Foundation’s Research Grants Committee, has outlined the wideranging program of the Heart Foundation in supporting and encouraging research. The Foundation currently allocates 20% of its annual budget to research, and this amount, $7 million, although not high by international
Franklin Rosenfeldt Editor-in-Chief
Supplement collage on page 165 by David Roberts.
166
Editorial The 40th Anniversary Of The Heart Foundation Of Australia
I
t is a pleasure to introduce this supplement commemorating the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Heart Foundation in February 1959. A joint venture between The Asia Pacific Heart Journal and the Heart Foundation, this supplement has been strongly ‘supported by the Foundation’s Director of Health, Medical and Scientific Affairs, Andrew Tonkin.
standards, is critical to the Australian cardiovascular research effort. For comparison, the Astra Company in Australia has spent $42 million over the past 3 years funding a search for new pharmaceuticals from natural sources. The Heart Foundation spreads its largesse over a wide range of initiatives ranging from vacation scholarships for students to chairs of cardiology. The program of grants-in-aid has an important multiplier effect in allowing researchers to initiate a project and then garner further funds from other sources.
A grant from the Foundation has made possible the distribution of this commemorative issue to the widest possible constituency of the cardiological and cardiac surgical community. Much of the credit for the preparation of the supplement goes to Meryl Fullerton of the Journal, to Susanne Hatherley of the Heart Foundation and to the many contributors.
“What would the National Heart Foundation do with an extra $6 million?’ is the intriguing question posed by Lawrie Beilin, Honorary Director of the West Australian Heart Research Institute and Chairman of the Foundation’s Cardiovascular Health Advisory Committee. His innovative answer is to establish a “virtual” cardiovascular research institute, an institute without walls. Such an initiative could bring together geographically separated researchers who would be encouraged, commissioned and funded to carry out multicentre and interdisciplinary research - a challenging idea. The fist step is to find $6 million.
Dr Ralph Reader, the first Medical Director (1961-70) and then Director (1970-80) of the Foundation, has provided a fascinating personal history of the organisation’s development in the first 20 years. In those early days Dr Reader almost was the Foundation. the Medical Director of James Gardiner, Cardiovascular Services (1954-59) at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, has provided a vignette of a little-known event leading up to the Heart Foundation receiving its first donation. The landmark gift to the Australasian Heart Fund, established by James Gardiner in 1957, was prompted by the first successful open-heart operation in Australia carried out by Ken Morris at the Alfred in the same year. Subsequently, moneys from this fund gave the inaugural appeal of the Heart Foundation a flying start.
In his second article Andrew Tonkin and colleagues overview the current state of cardiovascular health in Australia as seen by the National Health Priority Committee. Focussing on six areas of concern, the Committee has made recommendations to the Federal Government for funding priorities for further improving the cardiovascular health of Australians. These recommendations have been made against a background of the halving of cardiovascular mortality rates achieved in Australia in recent years.
In his first article, Andrew Tonkin, the present Director of Health, Medical and Scientific Affairs, has provided an overview of the entire activities of the Heart Foundation and has given his vision for the way ahead. Noting the progressive ageing of Australia’s population and the fact that cardiovascular disease is Australia’s major public health burden, he indicates a need for substantial input across the broad health-disease spectrum in order to address effectively both environmental and genetic causes of disease.
Conclusion The National Heart Foundation has done much to improve the state of cardiovascular health in Australia over the past four decades. Despite some improvements in funding, securing funds for cardiovascular research is still difficult. Cardiac surgeons feel this particularly. Although philanthropy in Australia has improved, it lags behind some other countries, and much hard work will be necessary to substantially raise the funding base for cardiovascular research over the next 40 years.
Philip Barter, Chair of the Heart Foundation’s Research Grants Committee, has outlined the wideranging program of the Heart Foundation in supporting and encouraging research. The Foundation currently allocates 20% of its annual budget to research, and this amount, $7 million, although not high by international
Franklin Rosenfeldt Editor-in-Chief
Supplement collage on page 165 by David Roberts.
166