His nickname at school was Cardiac \u2013 such was Professor John Beltrame AM\u2019s (BM, BS ’86) fascination with the heart. Although, his high school grades didn\u2019t immediately allow him to study medicine. It took Flinders University to provide him with post-graduate access to medical studies, which started the career of a researcher, clinician and teacher who now stands at the forefront of world-leading cardiology developments.<\/p>\n
\u201cFlinders gave me an opportunity and I\u2019m forever indebted, especially for the learning environment I found myself in,\u201d says Professor Beltrame, a Clinical Academic and Senior Consultant Cardiologist at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Research Lead for the Translational Vascular Function Research Collaborative at the Basil Hetzel Institute, and the Michell Professor of Medicine at Adelaide University.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe heart always made sense to me. Right from the start of my medical studies, I did research electives in the cardiology department \u2013 but my interest all started when I was very young. I joined the St John Ambulance cadets when I was 11, and at 15 I was treating patients in the ambulances, and I enjoyed it. I wanted to work in medicine, but when I couldn\u2019t get the grades to become a doctor, I decided to study science, which led me to do research \u00ad\u2013 although I still had a passion to do medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once he started studying medicine at Flinders, he identifies Professor John Chalmers \u2013 the inaugural head of Medicine at Flinders \u2013 as a particular inspiration who drove him to purse research work. \u201cI spent 10 years at Flinders, both studying and working at the hospital, and all through those years, it was never about just doing medicine but also about doing clinical research \u2013 and that has stayed with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Professor Beltrame says his research is heavily influenced by patients. \u201cThey have the problems, and if you listen to them, they teach you. They prompt the questions that make you wonder why we don\u2019t have the answers for them \u2013 and that inspires the research.\u201d<\/p>\n
This remains an essential aspect of Professor Beltrame\u2019s work in medicine \u2013 balanced measures of treating patients, teaching students and driving research. \u201cWithout the patients, you don\u2019t get presented with the opportunity to do relevant and valuable research. To see patients get better with treatments that you have instigated, there is no greater reward.\u201d<\/p>\n
During research for his PhD, Professor Beltrame travelled to The Catholic University of Sacro Cuore in Rome (working with the Pope\u2019s cardiologist), at Kyoto University Hospital in Japan and Harvard University in Boston. With his expanded knowledge, he returned to Adelaide \u2013 and among many research achievements, he identified crucial gaps in existing data, which led to the launch of the Coronary Angiogram Database of South Australia (CADOSA) in 2011.<\/p>\n
This has collected data on more than 80,000 cases of invasive coronary angiography procedures, to monitor and improve the quality and safety of cardiac care. With insights gained from CADOSA, Professor Beltrame and his team have developed diagnostic techniques, improved hospital practices, and ensure patients with heart attacks or angina receive the best possible treatment. \u201cIt has pulled me towards thinking more about the quality of care of patients.\u201d<\/p>\n
For this and other research work, Professor Beltrame has won multiple prizes and Fellowships, and was awarded Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2019 for significant service to cardiovascular medicine, and to medical research and education.<\/p>\n
He says future challenges include developing treatments for people suffering from cardiac chest pains despite not having significant cholesterol blockages of the coronary arteries. \u201cPreviously these people have been neglected, saying there is nothing wrong with them. Now we are driven to re-evaluate them. We\u2019ve established groups locally and overseas to address this, and it\u2019s improving.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we go back 20 years, this was considered \u2018an Adelaide disease\u2019 because we were the only ones who had identified it, but now it has broad recognition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Professor Beltrame\u2019s work has elevated Adelaide as a global leader and focal point in the development of heart treatment. \u201cIt\u2019s a team effort, but the work done here has been recognised around the world,\u201d he says. \u201cThere is still so much more to do. I didn\u2019t realise that years later I\u2019d still be saying I need to do another research project. Around the next corner, we\u2019ll find the answer. You\u2019ve just got to look.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Professor John Beltrame AM was awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award for his distinguished contribution to cardiovascular medicine, research and education, through sustained clinical care, internationally recognised research and academic leadership.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" His nickname at school was Cardiac \u2013 such was Professor John Beltrame AM\u2019s (BM, BS ’86) fascination with the heart. Although, his high school grades didn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1448,"featured_media":2228,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5841,828,2081],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2026-alumni-awards","category-college-of-medicine-and-public-health","category-study-medicine"],"yoast_head":"\n