Past Events

We aim to hold events that will increase collaboration, improve research quality and involve consumers in the process. Our priority is to provide researchers, EMCRs and HDR students with the tools to improve the quality of their research. 

The 2023 SOLVE-CHD Retreat was held on 30-31 March at Terrigal NSW. Over 30 members joined us from NSW, VIC, TAS and WA in person for this special occasion.

The retreat was a highly engaging and informative event that covered a diverse range of topics related to research. Participants heard career stories, discussed common challenges in research, tips and insights to overcome these challenges, as well as creative workshops in painting and accessory making.

Everyone left the retreat with new insights and perspectives on research careers. The event provided an excellent opportunity to learn, network, and collaborate in a supportive and inspiring environment! We cannot wait for the next in-person event and reconnect with you all soon!

Due to popular demand SOLVE-CHD held it’s second consumer review workshop for this year. The focus of was for consumers to provide their valuable feedback to researchers applying for MRFF grants in 2022. 

We would again like to thank our wonderful consumers for taking out their time to listen to research proposals and provide immensely valuable feedback to improve the grant applications – your support to SOLVE-CHD is greatly appreciated!

Read what the researchers that attended thought about consumer feedback workshop below:

“The workshop itself was great, I really appreciated and benefited from the opportunity to present my work in lay language. It helped me to consolidate my ideas for my project and understand it from the perspective of a consumer. I took away a lot from it and I’d be keen to do it again in the future.”

“The session was super helpful and then having this follow up is just excellent, thank you SOLVE-CHD for such opportunity”

“Thank you for the opportunity to present my project to the SOLVE-CHD community advisory group yesterday. The feedback I received was extremely valuable.”

“Thanks so much for the feedback. In particular thanks for suggesting how to include it in our grant application, that’s really useful.”

SOLVE-CHD’s first Consumer Review Workshop was held on 22nd March via zoom. A number of researchers who were preparing for the Heart Foundation Research Funding 2022 presented their projects in lay language to a panel of consumers with lived experience of heart disease.

Researchers found the feedback extremely helpful. They will incorporate the consumer’s input in their proposals and were also reminded how such involvement from consumers will be ongoing throughout the life of the project. SOLVE-CHD is aiming to offer similar workshops to help and give guidance to researchers within the network and ensure consumer involvement in project design and concept from early stages.

Special thanks to our valuable Consumer Advisory Group members: Nicola, Sarah, Darren and Keith for sharing their personal experience and valuable comments with us. We look forward to continuing our partnership and consumer involvement in the near future!

The first SOLVE-CHD Retreat was held on 18th-19th March 2022 at Terrigal NSW. It was attended by 20 people including members of the senior leadership group, EMCRs and HDR students united for the first time since COVID-19. Emeritus Professor Adrian Bauman and Professor Tom Briffa gave Keynote sessions about academic career and integrity. EMCR Dr Stephanie Partridge shared her insights of coping with Investigator Grants’ feedback, PhD candidate Mr Dion Candelaria talked about his most recent paper and provided useful and practical tips for doctoral students to optimise their research development during and post-PhD. The group also had great time in team building activities and network sessions. It was a great success and we look forward to our next one in 2023.

SOLVE Inaugural Consumer Engagement Workshop was held via Zoom. 

Sincere thanks to everyone who has attended SOLVE first Consumer Engagement Workshop on Wednesday 14th July. Some great discussions and ideas were shared among researchers and patients about how to best engage patients in SOLVE program.

SOLVE Consumer engagement plan will be shared in due course. We look forward to fostering the exciting collaboration that will follow. Please encourage your colleagues that are interested in SOLVE Consumer Group to join our Network. 

On 29th April, SOLVE Launching was held via Zoom with a great turnout of more than 70 attendees from over 25 Organisations across Australia. Opened by Adj Prof. John Kelly AM (Heart Foundation), who highlighted the alignment of SOLVE’s objectives with the global, regional, and national mission of the World Heart Federation and the Heart Foundation, particularly in Policy Development, Emerging Leaders, Cardiac Rehabilitation, Secondary Prevention, and Consumer Engagement space. 

Dr. Saraid Billiards (Department of Health) and Prof.Gemma Figtree (ACvA) congratulated the SOLVE Team and underlined the importance of this Synergy Grant and its multidisciplinary approach to the Mission and priorities of the ACvA, Cardiovascular Health, and MRFF for all Australians. 

Prof Julie Redfern provided a brief background of SOLVE and the National Network. Prof Robyn Gallagher, Prof Tom Briffa, and A/Pro Adrienne O’Neil introduced our key activity areas: transformative data and quality, new research, and capacity building followed by some great discussion among attendees. 

In response to a request from the Australian Federal Minister for Health seeking advice on priorities to address cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention of heart disease, a Strategy Roundtable was held on 16 October 2019 at Canberra’s Shine Dome in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The overarching purpose was to convene and document a whole-of-nation discussion amongst consumers, policy-makers and multidisciplinary experts to identify actionable research and implementation priorities addressing gaps in secondary prevention and cardiac rehabilitation across Australia that align with the six ACvA flagships.

Publication of Round table outcomes: Redfern, J., Figtree, G., Chow, C., Jennings, G., Briffa, T., Gallagher, R., & Foreman, R. (2020). Cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention roundtable: Australian implementation and research priorities. Heart, Lung and Circulation, 29(3), 319-323.

PowerPoint slides