Meet Dr Zachary Whinnett: Head of Section with NHLI

Dr Zachary Whinnett has taken over from Professor Darrel Francis as the head of the Cardiovascular Trials and Epidemiology Section.

Dr Zachary Whinnett took over as the head of the Cardiovascular Trials and Epidemiology Section within the National Heart and Lung Institute as of November 2022.

“I am very fortunate to work with a very talented team and be able to collaborate with many researchers within Imperial, as well nationally and internationally” Dr Zachary Whinnett

Zachary Whinnett is a Consultant Cardiologist at Imperial College NHS Trust, his specialist areas of expertise are pacemakers, implantable defibrillators and cardiac electrophysiology. Zachary completed his undergraduate training in Medical Sciences at the University of Nottingham. He moved to Imperial for a PhD with Professor Darrel Francis and Professor Jamil Mayet. His main research interests are in the field of implantable cardiac electronic devices.

I caught up with Dr Zachary Whinnett to find out more about him and his Section.

What is your research about?

My research group focuses on improving the way we diagnose and treat people who suffer with heart rhythm disturbances and abnormalities in cardiac activation. This includes improving the way we deliver pacemaker and implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapies, developing technology to make it easier to detect arrhythmias and identify people who are at risk of sudden cardiac death. Our work ranges from small high precision mechanistic studies to large multicentre randomised control trials. I am very fortunate to work with a very talented team and be able to collaborate with many researchers within Imperial, as well nationally and internationally.

Are you involved in any aspects of NHLI outside of research?

I enjoy teaching medical students, as well as other doctors from both the UK and around the world. In addition to my research, I am a clinical cardiologist specialising in cardiac electrophysiology, which involves performing cardiac ablations to treat heart rhythm disturbances, implanting pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators.

How did you feel to be offered the role of Head of Section?

I was pleased to be given the opportunity to build on the excellent work of my predecessors. My aim is to continue to grow our section, support the career development of the team and to ensure we continue to deliver high quality, high impact scientific output.

What areas of research does your Section cover and what is its over-arching aim?

The overarching aim of our section is to improve diagnostic tools and treatments for patients with cardiovascular disease, as well as improve our understanding of why people get heart disease. The research in our section covers a range of different areas, we have world experts in coronary vascular physiology, cardiovascular imaging, big data analysis, AI, hypertension, heart failure, cardiovascular prevention, clinical trials and cardiac electrophysiology. Our research aims to improve and develop new treatment and diagnostic options for patients. We have an international track record in cardiovascular trials, ranging from shorter term evaluation of therapies to long-term morbidity and mortality trials, the outcome of which change clinical practice.

Who inspires you?

Harry Kane, he is an example of how hard work and dedication can allow you to reach the top of your field.

What do you see as the biggest challenges in your Section’s research area over the next ten years?

We need to find ways to become more successful in preventing people from developing cardiovascular disease, and become better at diagnosing disease at an earlier stage, ideally using low cost tools that can be performed outside the hospital setting.