The Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Group focuses on developing state-of-the-art cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging techniques to better understand heart disease. Through this, we are seeking to improve diagnosis and develop new treatment options for patients with the disease.
We are also looking to gain a better understanding of associated imaging and diagnostic techniques including echocardiography, x-ray computed tomography (CT), cardiovascular nuclear imaging and electrocardiography (ECG).
Our current research focuses on the challenges related to:
- Inefficient filling of the heart – diastolic dysfunction
- Thick walls of the heart – left ventricular hypertrophy
- A reduction in blood flow to the smallest vessels of the heart – coronary microvascular dysfunction
- How these disease manifestations relate to heart failure, in particular heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
- Chest pain and the role of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging
Our research team is part of a collaborative, global network of researchers and clinicians working to provide accurate diagnostic methods, earlier detection, earlier treatment, and decreased morbidity and mortality from heart disease.
Our group brings together a multidisciplinary team including cardiologists, radiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, anaesthetists, cardiovascular physiologists, histologists, molecular biologists, sonographers, radiographers, magnetic resonance physicists, biomedical engineers, image processing scientists and applied mathematicians.
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Professor Martin Ugander
Professor of Cardiac Imaging
Associate Professor Rebecca Kozor
BSc (Med), MBBS, PhD, FRACP, FCSANZ
Senior Lecturer, Northern Clinical School
Dr Rebecca Kozor is a cardiologist and physician-researcher at the University of Sydney and Royal North Shore Hospital where she co-directs the clinical CMR service, in addition to also doing echocardiography and cardiac CT. She is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney and co-directs the USyd CMR Research Group, as well as being involved in undergraduate and postgraduate medical teaching.
Dr Kozor completed her cardiology training in 2014 and then did a CMR clinical research fellowship in 2015 at Barts Heart Centre, London, UK, under Professor James Moon. She was awarded her PhD in CMR at the University of Sydney in 2016. She also has Level 3 certification with EuroCMR and SCMR. In 2018 she was awarded both a New South Wales Health Early-Mid Career Fellowship and a NHMRC Early Career Fellowship (having to decline the latter) to establish her research program that spans across clinical and health economics research in the field of CMR and cardiovascular disease.
Dr Kozor is actively involved in education and advocacy of CMR and cardiovascular research. She is Treasurer of the Australia New Zealand CMR Working Group, Co-organiser/chair of Sydney CMR meetings and CMR Australia meetings, Associate Editor of SCMR Case of the Week, Member of the Northern Sydney Local Health District Human Research Ethics Committee, and Honorary Board Director of Heart Research Australia.
Her current research interests include cost-effectiveness of CMR in chest pain; Rapid access chest pain clinics in Australia – patient satisfaction, cost-benefit, and outcomes; Advanced ECG in chest pain; Cardiac involvement in Fabry disease.
