Dr Anupam Rao brings curiosity, collaboration and a national perspective to his role as Chair of ACvA’s Emerging Leaders Committee (ELC).

Ever since he was a child, Dr Rao has been driven by a simple question, why? He was, by his own admission, the student who always wanted to dig deeper. That instinctive curiosity continues to shape his work today.

 Now a Cardiology Advanced Trainee at Canberra Hospital, a PhD candidate at the University of Canberra, and a 2026/27 Fulbright Scholar, Dr Rao did not always envision a career in cardiology. His initial ambitions lay in surgery or critical care medicine. But early in his medical career, his direction began to shift. Working in the hospital system during the COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a defining experience.

 “If you ever wonder where all the good people are, they were there.”

 He recalls being struck by the dedication and selflessness of the doctors, nurses and allied health professionals working under immense pressure.

 “During that time, I was lucky enough to work with some excellent cardiologists and I thought, this is where I need to be. This is the kind of doctor I’d like to be.”

 From there, his natural curiosity led him into research. That drive has brought him to his current role as a clinician researcher looking at cardiology and AI. Amidst the busyness of these roles, he realised he also wanted more of a connection with his peers.

 “There is a great power and synergy in asymmetrical wisdom and different perspectives. It’s something I’ve always used in my own research and I was looking for that when I applied for the Emerging Leaders Committee.”

 Now, as Chair of the ELC, he sees the Committee as a space to harness that diversity of thought, bringing together clinicians and researchers from different disciplines to spark new ideas.

 “I want us to ask questions. Silly questions. Good ones and bad ones. We’re at a stage in our careers when we can still do that and when you ask the right question, you get some amazing answers and pathways forward.”

 For Dr Rao, the strength of the ELC lies not just in its members’ achievements, but in how they work together. He values the Committee’s multidisciplinary nature and its relatively flat hierarchy, which he believes enables open, frictionless communication and genuine collaboration.

 He is particularly motivated by the opportunity to support early- and mid-career researchers across Australia, many of whom are looking for connection and a way into networks that can feel difficult to access.

 “There’s a group of clever, dedicated CVD EMCRs all across Australia and I hope the ELC will serve them.”

 For Dr Rao, the national scope of ACvA is central to that mission. He sees it as uniquely positioned to bring people together, align priorities, and respond to Australia’s health challenges.

 “ACvA sits in a unique place as a national body. We have distinct medical challenges in Australia, so it’s vital to have a research community that can coordinate, connect and lead.”

 As he steps into the role of Chair, Dr Rao remains guided by the same curiosity that started his journey. He’s still asking why, and now helping others ask it too.

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