Professor Len Kritharides is an academic cardiologist with clinical and research interests in preventing and treating heart disease, including patients with cancer, muscular dystrophy and hyperlipidaemia (high cholesterol). He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Melbourne, trained in Cardiology at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and undertook a PhD and post doctoral studies in in cell biology and lipid biochemistry at the Heart Research Institute, University of Sydney, and in Philadelphia USA. He has practised as a general and interventional cardiologist, and is Senior Staff Specialist Cardiologist Concord Hospital, and Clinical Director of the Cardiac Services Stream of the Sydney Local Health District.

He is Head of the Atherosclerosis and Vascular Biology Research Laboratories at the ANZAC Research Institute, and Professor in Medicine at the University of Sydney. Previous appointments include Head of Department of Cardiology Concord Hospital (2003-2021), President of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ 2018-2020), Chair of the Advanced Training Committee in Cardiology Royal Australasian College of Physicians (2016-2018), Board Member of the Heart Foundation of Australia (2013-2022) and of the Heart Research Institute Sydney (2009-2022, Chairman 2017-2022).