Professor James D. Cameron MBBS, MD, BE(Elec), MEngSc, FIEAust., CPE(Biomed), FCSANZ

Professor James Cameron completed undergraduate degrees in Engineering and Medicine at Melbourne University before going on to post-graduate research degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Medicine.

In 2007 he was appointed to the position of Associate Director (Research & Education) of MonashHeart and in the same year took a chair in biomedical engineering at La Trobe University. He is Director of the Monash Cardiovascular Research Centre and maintains a senior medical staff appointment with MonashHeart and in the private sector at Epworth Hospital with Epworth Health Care.

He is internationally known for work on large, conduit artery function and mechanics, their influence on mechanisms of disease and their role in risk-assessment and the identification of pre-clinical states. His work provided some of the first evidence that arterial function is modifiable and therefore a therapeutic target. Particular interests are in hypertension, assessment of arterial function in vascular health and biological ageing. He has developed laboratory systems used in Australia and internationally for assessment of arterial properties. 

In 2004 he was co-recipient of the 2004 RJ Hall prize of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ) and was admitted to Fellowship of CSANZ in 2006. Currently he is President of The International Society for Vascular Health (ISVH) and Chairman of the Australasian Regional Committee of the ISVH.

Qualifications - Melbourne University

• Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical)  B.E.(Hons) 1975
• Master of Engineering Science (Research)  M.Eng.Sc. 1977
• Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery M.B. B.S. 1981
• Doctor of Medicine M.D. 1996

Qualifications

• Level 2 SCCT 2008

Professional registrations

• Registered medical practitioner, Australia.  
• Registered medical practitioner, United Kingdom.
• Charted Professional Engineer (Biomedical) - National Professional Engineers Register – level 3 (Biomedical).

Scientific and professional societies

• Fellow of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand.
• Fellow, Institute of Engineers (Australia) and Member, College of Biomedical Engineers, IE(Aust.).
• Member High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia
• President, International Society for Vascular Health.
• Chair, Australasian Regional Committee of The International Society for Vascular Health.
  

• Director, Monash Cardiovascular Research Centre and Associate Director (Research & Education) MonashHeart. Monash Medical Centre
• Adjunct Professor of Medicine, Southern Clinical School, Department of Medicine, Monash University
• Professor of Electronic Engineering (Biomedical), Department of Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Science, Technology & Engineering, La Trobe University
• Member, Senior Medical Staff, Southern Health, MonashHeart (Cardiology),  Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne, Australia
• Member, Senior Medical Staff Epworth Hospital and Director, HealthCheck Unit, Epworth Hospital, Bridge Rd, Richmond, Victoria Australia
  

• Joint recipient RT Hall prize of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand 2004

• 2010-2011: President, The International Society for Vascular Health. (2005-2009: International Vice-President)
• Chairman, Australasian Regional Committee, The International Society for Vascular Health
• Convener, Melbourne Arterial Function Group

Main research endeavours include:

• Large conduit artery function and mechanics, in particular the development of assessment techniques to investigate mechanisms of arterial disease, the role of arterial stiffness in risk-assessment and its use in identification of pre-clinical states
• Non-invasive assessment of arterial mechanical properties as they relate to cardiovascular risk and clinical management
• Assessment of arterial stiffness in relation to vascular health and biological ageing and the potential for therapeutic intervention

Theses

Cameron JD. Systemic Arterial Compliance and Its Association With Aerobic Fitness and Coronary Artery Disease. Doctor of Medicine, Monash University. 1996
Cameron JD. Patterns of Acceleration in Human Limb Movement. Master of Engineering Science, University of Melbourne. 1977

Top 10 peer reviewed articles in scientific journals

1. Hutchison AW, Malaiapan Y, Jarvie I, Barger B, Watkins E, Braitberg G, Kambourakis T, Cameron JD, Meredith IT. Prehospital 12-lead ECG to triage ST-elevation myocardial infarction and emergency department activation of the infarct team significantly improves door-to-balloon times: Ambulance Victoria and MonashHeart Acute Myocardial Infarction (MonAMI) 12-lead ECG project. Circ Cardiovasc Interv. 2009 Dec;2(6):528-34.

2. Pasricha SS, Nandurkar D, Seneviratne SK, Cameron JD, Crossett M, Schneider-Kolsky ME, Troupis JM. Image quality of coronary 320-MDCT in patients with atrial fibrillation: initial experience. Am J Roentgenol. 2009 Dec;193(6):1514-21.

3. De Silva DA, Woon F-P, Gan H-Y, Chen CP, Chang H-M, Koh T-H, Kingwell BA, Cameron JD, Wong M-C Arterial stiffness is associated with intracranial large artery disease among ethnic Chinese and South Asian ischemic stroke patients. J Hypertens 2009;27(7):1453-8.

4. Nelson AJ, Worthley SG, Cameron JD, Willoughby SR, Piantadosi C, Carbine A, Dundon BK, Leung MC, Hope SA, Meredith IT, Worthley MI. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance-derived aortic distensibility: validation and observed regional differences in the elderly. J Hypertens. 2009 Mar;27(3):535-42.  Impact factor: 4.364

5. De Silva D, Woon F-P, Gan H-Y, Cameron J.D, Kingwell BA, Koh T-H, Chen C, Chang H-M, Wong M-C. Arterial stiffness, metabolic syndrome and inflammation among Asian ischemic stroke patients. Eur J Neurol. 2008;15(8):872-875

6. Dart AM, Kingwell BA, Gatzka CD, Wilson K, Liang YL, Berry KL, Wing LM, Reid CM, Ryan P, Beilin LJ, Jennings GL, Johnston CI, McNeil JJ, Macdonald GJ, Morgan TO, West MJ, Cameron JD.  Smaller aortic dimensions do not fully account for the greater pulse pressure in elderly female hypertensives. Hypertension. 2008 Apr;51(4):1129-34. Impact Factor 6.331

7. Zoungas S, Cameron JD, Kerr PG, Wolfe R, Muske C, McNeil JJ, McGrath BP. Association of carotid intima-medial thickness and indices of arterial stiffness with cardiovascular disease outcomes in CKD. Am J Kidney Dis. 2007; 50(4):622-30.

8. Hope SA, Meredith IT, Tay D, Cameron JD.  ‘Generalisability’ of a radial-aortic transfer function for the derivation of central aortic waveform parameters. J Hypertens 2007;25:1812-1820.

9. Hope SA, Antonis P, Adam D, Cameron JD, Meredith IT. Arterial Pulse Wave Velocity but not Augmentation Index is Associated with Coronary Artery Disease Extent and Severity: Implications for Arterial Transfer Function Applicability. J Hypertens. 2007 Oct;25(10):2105-9.

10. Dart AM, Cameron JD, Gatzka CD, Willson K, Liang YL, Berry KL, Wing LM, Reid CM, Ryan P, Beilin LJ, Jennings GL, Johnston CI, McNeil JJ, Macdonald GJ, Morgan TO, West MJ, Kingwell BA.  Similar Effects of Treatment on Central and Brachial Blood Pressures in Older Hypertensive Subjects in the Second Australian National Blood Pressure Trial. Hypertension. 2007;49(6):1242-7. 

Recent invited international and national participation

Invited Chair and Speaker.  “Arterial Function – Mechanisms and Medications” Combined International Society of Vascular Health/ Australian Atherosclerosis Society Scientific Sessions. “Are all antihypertensives equal?” Melbourne, October 15th 2009

Invited Faculty Speaker, Joint ASH/ISVH Scientific Forum: “Arterial Evaluation. Clinically Relevant”? San Francisco, USA 2009 May 7-9.  Debate-Are the different vascular effects of anti–hypertensives clinically relevant?”

Invited Faculty Speaker, Joint ASH/ISVH Scientific Forum - Vascular Health: Managing the Risk and Treatment Options. New Orleans, USA 2008 May 15-16. “Therapeutic Modification of Arterial Stiffness: Dream or Reality?”

International Faculty Member, Oriental Congress of Cardiology. Shanghai China. 30 May - 1 June 2008, Lecture: “Treating Hypertension by Modification of Arterial Stiffness: Dream or Reality.”

Invited Speaker. “Effects of Intimal and Medial Disease on Arterial Stiffness, Central Blood Pressure and Coronary Perfusion.” Australian Atherosclerosis Society. Perth August 2007

International Faculty Member, Oriental Congress of Cardiology. Shanghai China. 31 May-3 June 2007, Lecture: “The influence of arterial mechanics on central blood pressure, cardiovascular risk and coronary perfusion.”

Invited Speaker. “Debate: Pressure Wave Analysis or Aortic Stiffness, which is ready for clinical use.” International Workshop – Controversies in Vascular Health Management. International Society of Vascular Health. Paris 17-18 November 2006.

Invited Keynote Speaker “Arterial Compliance in Hypertension”. The 3rd Chinese Annual Meeting of Vascular Disease and Artery Function. The First Asian-Pacific Congress of the International Society of Vascular Health. Peking, June 23-25 2006.

Invited Speaker. “Arterial Compliance in Hypertension”. British Geriatric Society, Cardiovascular Section Annual Scientific Conference. London March 2005

Invited Speaker. 5th International Workshop on Structure and Function of Large Arteries. Paris (France), February 3-5 2005

PhD Monash University (Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences)

• 2010-present: Dr Brian Ko: Assessment of myocardial perfusion on computed tomography. Co-supervisor with Professor Ian Meredith
  
  

• 2009-present: Dr Adam Hutchison: The MonAMI 12-lead field triage of STEMI patients project. Co-supervisor with Dr Michael Leung
  
  

• 2007-present: Dr Michael Wu: The effect of diabetes on tissue oxidation and vascular function. Co-supervisor with A/Professor Sophia Zoungas
  
  

• 2007-present: Ms Cathy Martin: Differences in arterial and autonomic function in individuals with established, office- and masked-hypertension. Co-supervisor with Professor Barry McGrath
  
  

• 2003-2006: Dr Michael Leung: Insights into the human coronary microvasculature – the influence of aortic mechanical properties and coronary artery disease. Co-supervisor with Professor Ian Meredith
  
  

• 2001-2003: Dr Sarah Hope: Arterial pressure waves: waveform characteristics, their associations and factors influencing propagation. Co-supervisor with Professor Ian Meredith