RCH Cardiac Surgeon Yves d’Udekem has been awarded the most prestigious Australian and New Zealand cardiology award – the 2017 RT Hall Prize.  This is in recognition of his outstanding research work, particularly his significant achievements with the Australian and New Zealand Fontan Registry.

The Fontan Registry is a secure database collecting health information on Fontan patients, a surgical procedure used in children with univentricular hearts, living in Australia and New Zealand since 2009.

Yves spearheaded the Australian and New Zealand Fontan Registry as its Founder and Chair, which has been a world-leading research initiative. It was his singular vision of fine-tuning all aspects of care for Fontan patients, and building research capacity through collaboration to pursue this goal that impressed the judges.

The RT Hall Prize is the most prestigious award for research in the field of cardiology in Australia and New Zealand. It recognises the achievements of senior and established investigators.

Yves wears many hats, not only is he a paediatric heart surgeon at RCH, he is also a senior research fellow at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute as well as a Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Melbourne.

His passion and ongoing dedication to pursue the best long-term outcomes for this highly vulnerable patient population is extraordinary. As well as his training of a “next generation” of academic cardiac surgeons.

Yves said he felt very honoured to receive the award. “To the best of my knowledge, the last surgeon to receive the award was back in 1968, I’m thrilled to have my work recognised by being awarded this prestigious award.”