Paul Bannon - Co-Chair
Professor Paul Bannon is a Cardiothoracic Surgeon dedicated to a life of surgery and research taking discoveries from the laboratory bench to the patient's bedside. Professor Bannon completed his surgical training at RPA and, under the guidance of the late Professor Douglas Baird, was encouraged to take up research and has never looked back.
His research interests are extensive and have the potential to result in major breakthroughs for the early detection, prevention and treatment of heart and lung disease. Underpinning this is a dedicated research group at RPA, which is led by Professor Bannon, who reviews leading evidence from around the world to get better outcomes for research and surgery.
In addition to being the inaugural Co-Chair of the IAS, Professor Bannon is the Chairman of the Baird Institute for Applied Heart and Lung Surgical Research, the Professorial Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Sydney, the Vice President, President-elect of the Australia and New Zealand Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons, the Co-Chair of the Cardiac Devices Committee for the Agency of Clinical Innovation, Ministry of Health NSW, the Head of Department for Cardiothoracic Surgery at RPA and has held various positions in the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and RPA.
Professor Bannon is committed to developing young surgeons into thinkers and leading researchers, and has been a strong leader in academic surgery within the University of Sydney and at RPA. His leadership skills and drive for enhancing academic surgery are a great asset to the IAS.