2022 marks 25 years at the University for Prof Lea Delbridge

Celebrating a career dedicated to heart research and contributions to the School and University.

Professor Lea Delbridge, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, began working at the University of Melbourne in 1997, taking up an academic position after returning from abroad. In the 25 years since, Prof Delbridge has made incredible contributions both to the School and the wider community.

She is currently working as the Head of the Cardiac Phenomics Laboratory, which involves understanding how the heart response to stress can be managed to minimise the damaging impacts of a variety of disease conditions.

Prof Delbridge’s pre-clinical work focuses on cardiac pathology arising from Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and on the factors which determine how female and male hearts respond differently to stress and disease challenges. The laboratory’s goal is to inform the development of new treatments for diabetic cardiomyopathy and to understand how for women and men, cardiac ‘difference’ may be managed with optimised therapeutic tools.

Professor Delbridge has made major contributions in the understanding of cardiovascular function in health and disease, spanning from basic science discoveries to pre-clinical advances. She has provided considered mentorship for many young scientists and leadership beyond the academy, particularly with the International Society of Heart Research.

- Professor Matthew Watt, Head of Department, Anatomy & Physiology

Prof Delbridge was awarded her PhD in Physiology from the University of Melbourne and after training positions in Canada and America, she returned to Australia to work at the University. She was appointed professor in 2011 and during her career, Prof Delbridge has been elected President of the Australasian Section Council of the International Society of Heart Research (ISHR)(2007 – 2013) and was a World Council ISHR Member (2010 – 2016).

Alongside her research, Prof Delbridge manages a teaching portfolio and is a member of the University’s Academic Board leadership team.

Please join us in congratulating Prof Delbridge for reaching this milestone. We thank her for the contributions she has made during her inspirational career to date.