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Synopsis:Each year over three thousand Australian children are diagnosed with some form of heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in infants and contributes more than 9,000 Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) to the total burden of disease in Australia.

We celebrate the medical advances that have led to better outcomes for children with heart disease, but more needs to be done to improve their quantity and quality of life. This requires attention not only to their physical health, but also to their emotional health and well-being.

In 2010 at the University of Sydney, an integrated research program and clinical service dedicated to the psychological care of children with heart disease, their families and clinical teams was established. Based at the Heart Centre for Children, the goals of this program are: (1) Discovery of the mechanisms which contribute to psychological risk and resilience in children and families; (2) Development and trial of novel prevention and early intervention; and (3) Rapid translation of research outcomes into clinical practice.

Speaker: Dr Nadine Kasparian is Head of Psychological Care at the Heart Centre for Children, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead and Senior Research Fellow in Medicine (Paediatrics) at the University of NSW. She is an Executive Member of the Australian Centre for Perinatal Science. Nadine’s research has focused on developing an in-depth understanding of the experiences and needs of patients and families at all stages of illness – from diagnosis and treatment, through to important life transitions and bereavement.

In 2011, Nadine’s work was acknowledged by the International Psycho-Oncology Society Hiroomi Kawano New Investigator Award for outstanding contributions to research.