Dr Leighton Kearney began his extraordinary medical career at the University of Tasmania, where he was awarded the University Medal for Academic Excellence along with First Class Honours. Extensive post-graduate training took place at the Austin Hospital and Royal Brompton Hospital – UK, where Leighton completed Fellowships in both Non-Invasive Cardiac Imaging and Cardiac MRI.

Since his return to Australia, Leighton has served a number of public appointments across Northern Health, Eastern Health and Monash Heart, in addition to supporting patients within the private sector. Leighton’s expertise and tireless dedication to improving the lives of Heart Failure patients has resulted in his recent appointment as Director – Heart Failure Clinical Services with Advara HeartCare Cardiovascular Research.

Leighton’s passion for improving patient outcomes through research, registry design and implementation of novel models of care has seen him as the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including from the National Heart Foundation. Recently, Leighton received the International Young Investigator Award at the Asia Pacific Society of Cardiology for his PhD investigating valvular heart disease and techniques for detecting myocardial dysfunction. An author of many publications in prestigious peer-reviewed journals, Leighton frequently presents at national and international scientific congresses, and is actively involved in state-based medical education forums.

Leighton’s clinical interests include Heart Failure optimisation, Valvular Heart Disease and Coronary Artery Disease, whilst maintaining an active research presence both locally and internationally. In recent years, Leighton has founded the international best-practice Heart Failure Management Clinic at Advara HeartCare Bundoora, which has subsequently expanded across Australia within the Advara HeartCare network.