About the Westmead Applied Research Centre
The Westmead Applied Research Centre (WARC) at the University of Sydney is a clinical and digital health research centre, established in partnership with the Western Sydney LHD. Its core mission is to develop, evaluate, and translate technology-driven healthcare innovations for chronic diseases, with a special focus on ensuring value, equity, and real-world impact. Its approach is anchored in flexibility, co-design, and cross-sector partnership.
Contact WARC
For more information you can contact us at warc.info@sydney.edu.au
Digital health and technology
We're using digital health technologies and methods to improve healthcare quality and deliver care that is safe, effective, patient-centred, timely, efficient and equitable.
Equity in health
Our new programs focus on equity in healthcare access in areas like gender, rural and remote and economic. The diversity of Western Sydney is ideal for this research.
New clinical approaches
We're exploring new treatments (including tailored clinical trials), new clinical pathways and new approaches, aimed at improving health outcomes, health experience and reducing health costs.
Our projects and programs are led by clinical academic researchers at the University of Sydney and are experts in their field. They address gaps in a field through developing an innovative solution and evaluation. This stream includes collaboration with academics in:
- engineering
- informatics
- dentistry
- allied health.
The Westmead Applied Research Centre leadership team
The Westmead Applied Research Centre leadership team includes:
- Professor Clara Chow, Director (Annelise Barkhuizen, Executive Assistant to Director)
- Doctor Marina Ali, Centre Manager
- Craig Shuard, Research Administration Manager
- Vishal Gopal, Clinical Trials Services Manager
- Simone Marschner, Senior Biostatistician
- Rahul Sathiaraj, Digital Health Project Manager.
Doctor Clara Chow
Dr. Clara Chow is Professor of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Academic Director of the Westmead Applied Research Centre (WARC) and Academic Co-Director of CPC (Charles Perkins Centre) Westmead.
She is a Cardiologist and Clinical Lead Community Based Cardiac Services at Westmead Hospital and was recently appointed to the Western Sydney LHD Board. She is currently President of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. She is also co-chair of the Secondary Prevention Alliance in Australia. She has a PhD from the University of Sydney, Australia in cardiovascular epidemiology and international public health and postdoc from McMaster University, Canada in clinical trials and cardiac imaging.
She is a NHMRC Investigator Grant Leadership awardee and with this leads a research program focused on innovation for health service provision and clinical management of cardiovascular disease prevention. Much of her research employs a strategy of ‘frugal innovation’ – innovation that creates smart, low-cost solutions to big health problems.
