The mission of the Congenital Heart Alliance of Australia and New Zealand (CHAANZ) is to “better understand the total burden of Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) throughout Australia and New Zealand.”

 

This will be accomplished through the collection of comprehensive data on the full spectrum of CHD in children and adults to optimise lifelong care and outcomes.

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Founded in 2014, the purpose of CHAANZ is to facilitate research, aid with lobbying and build a continuum of community for people with CHD.

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CHAANZ is a consortium of CHD researchers from across Australia and New Zealand established under the initiative of, and with initial funding from HeartKids Australia, a CHD advocacy association. This group includes paediatric and adult CHD cardiologists and the cardiac surgical teams they work with, as well as input from medical psychology.

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The ultimate goal of this initiative is to establish a Regional CHD registry that can generate the knowledge needed to better understand the true diversity of outcome and burden of the entire spectrum of CHD across the lifespan.

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CHAANZ has been supported by HeartKids Australia and Wilson HTM Foundation to establish and manage the Consortium and support the research. Additional support (including pro bono) has been provided by Tata Consulting Services, Actelion and the Kinghorn Foundation. In 2020, a large research grant from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) accelerated research grant into congenital heart disease was announced to continue the support of a Regional CHD registry.

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Professor David Celermajer, the Chairman of CHAANZ was interviewed on the importance of supporting teenagers and adults with congenital heart disease as they transition from paediatric to adult care.