I was born and raised in Perth and an alumni of UWA, graduating in the class of 1980. I worked as a resident and registrar at Royal Perth Hospital until 1985 when I obtained my FRACP. I then met up with and worked with Prof Peter Thompson at QE2 where I completed my MD thesis in 1987 with his support. Subsequently I underwent basic cardiology training with Barry Hopkins and Brian Lloyd among others at QE2. 

In 1990, I went to the MGH in Boston, USA, where I completed a Fellowship in cardiac imaging with Prof Weyman, Robert (Bob) Levine, and Michael Picard. Upon returning to Perth in 1992, I joined the Cardiology Department at QE2 and entered private practice with Peter Thompson and Nigel Sinclair.

In 1995, we joined forces with Mark Ireland and Bernard Hockings, relocating our Practice to the Mount and Murdoch. In 2006, I initiated an investigation into the role of colchicine in my patients with chronic coronary disease. In a small trial, I found that colchicine reduced hsCRP independent of standard therapy.

This work led to the development of the LoDoCo trials. The first LoDoCo trial was presented in the late-breaking session of the ACC in 2012, with a simultaneous publication in JACC. The LoDoCo2 trial evolved into a large international trial with the support of Prof John Eikelboom, an ex-Perth graduate working at McMaster in Canada, who introduced us to colleagues in The Netherlands, enriching our research efforts.

Peter Thompson and I won the Warren Marshall Award for this work in 2015, which was acknowledged by the NHMRC as the most promising clinically relevant research that year. The results of the LoDoCo2 trail were presented at the late-breaking session of the European Cardiac Society, with a simultaneous publication in the NEJM in September 2020.

Based on these trials, low-dose colchicine entered guideline therapy in Europe in 2021, and its use was approved for secondary prevention by the FDA in June 2023. During this time, I also had the privilege to collaborate with Prof Abela in Michigan, USA.

Together, we co-authored a book entitled 'Cholesterol Crystals in Atherosclerosis and Other Related Diseases,' supported by an international group of researchers. This book, published in December 2023, brings together the overarching thesis that explains how the change in the nature of cholesterol accumulating in atherosclerotic plaque into its crystalline form alters the nature of the disease, predisposing it to direct plaque trauma and inciting innate inflammation.

This work is pivotal in elucidating the relationship between cholesterol accumulation and atherosclerosis, shedding light on why colchicine is effective in atherosclerosis as it is in preventing other crystal-induced diseases, including gout. Sub-studies of the LoDoCo2 trial have confirmed the long-term safety of colchicine and indicated its potential to slow the progression of osteoarthritis in weight-bearing joints.

Our work related to the role of colchicine was recognized in 2022 when Peter Thompson and I were both awarded the RT Hall Prize by the CSANZ.

Awards

Warren Marshall Award form NHMRC 2015 RT Hall Prize (CSANZ) 2022