Professor Anushka Alankar Patel

Professor Anushka Patel is a cardiologist and CEO of The George Institute for Global Health. She holds a conjoint professorial appointment at UNSW Sydney and a visiting professorship at Imperial College London. With over 25 years of experience in clinical and implementation science, she has led research programs that have shaped cardiovascular disease prevention and care worldwide.

Her early leadership of the landmark ADVANCE trial set new standards in vascular disease prevention for people with diabetes. Her work subsequently expanded to finding solutions that bridge research and real-world impact, most notably through the development of cardiovascular “polypills” and digital health technologies that strengthen primary care systems. This combination therapy research directly led to the creation of George Medicines, a social enterprise that Professor Patel currently chairs and that is bringing a low-cost triple combination antihypertensive to market. Following its FDA approval in 2025, licensing agreements for the treatment have been secured in multiple regions. Her contributions have been recognized with numerous honours, including the Gustav Nossal Medal in Global Health from the Australian Academy of Science.

At The George Institute, Professor Patel supports a team of more than 1,000 staff across four major offices in Australia, India, and the UK, driving collaborative research with global reach. She also helps shape national and international health policy.

She chairs the Research Committee of the Australian Government’s National Health and Medical Research Council and has advised organizations such as the World Health Organization and the World Bank.