Qualification
MBBS (Hons), BMedSci (Hons), PhD, FRACP
Practice Location
- Northern Cardiology and Specialists Clinic
Specialist Biography
Dr Varun Mallk is an academic cardiologist and electrophysiologist His areas of expertise Include diagnosis and management of all heart rhythm disorders, which Include catheter-based treatments for ventricular arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation and flutter and supraventricular tachycardia; as well as the full range of cardiac device implantation procedures (pacemakers, cardiac resynchronisation and conduction system pacing, internal cardioverter defibrillators and loop recorders).
Dr Malik has received specific training in advanced ventricular arrhythmia and paediatric/congenital electrophysiology procedures. He also has a keen interest in the management of cardiac dysautonomia’s, Including Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and has expertise in neuromodulation techniques for the management of arrhythmia.
Dr Malik is a clinician-scientist at the University of Adelaide, with an international reputation in cardiac autonomic neuroscience. He has established the Cardiac arrhythmia & autonomic neurosciences Research Laboratory, to understand how the brain controls the heart, and, specifically, how cardiac arrhythmias occur due to the development of an abnormal connection between the brain and the heart. He hopes to use this knowledge to develop new treatments for heart rhythm disorders.
Originally from Perth, Western Australia, Varun completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (with honours) at the University of Western Australia, together with a Bachelor of Medical Science (BMedSci) in cardiology basic science research. He has extensive experience in many centres nationally and internationally having completed his early medical training in Perth (Royal Perth Hospital) and then his Cardiology specialist training at both the Flinders Medical Centre In Adelaide as well as the Canberra Hospital, ACT. He obtained fellowships in cardiac electrophysiology and pacing at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and then at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he completed an advanced followship in cardiac electrophysiology focusing on all aspects of electrophysiology procedures, especially atrial fibrillation, ventricular arrhythmias, paediatric and adult congenital electrophysiology.
As a clinical academic, Varun is regularly invited to speak at international heart rhythm congresses and has several peer-reviewed publications (https://scholar.google.com). He completed a PhD thesis on autonomic nervous system function and atrial fibrillation, from the University of Adelaide, which was awarded a dean’s commendation for doctoral thesis excellence. His work was also awarded several national and international prizes. Notably, the Heart Rhythm Society’s Young Investigator Award (2021), JACC Clinical Electrophysiology best author award for his paper entitled “Autonomic Afferent Dysregulation in Atrial Fibrillation, “The Cardiac Society of Australia & New Zealand (CSANZ) Heart Rhythm Prize, and the Central Adelaide Local Health Network Nimmo Prize for clinical research. He was in the research faculty at UCLA, where he completed one of the largest multimodal advanced functional neuroimaging
and autonomic evaluation studies in POTS.
Varun is passionate about scientific progress through peer review and serves as editorial board member for Heart Rhythm 02. He also serves as a scholar-in-residence for the prestigious heart rhythm journal: JACC Clinical Electrophysiology. Dr. Malik also enjoys outreach medicine and the provision of remote cardiac services to Australia’s First Nations people.
Varun is committed to providing comprehensive cardiac care applying the latest scientific evidence, in a collaborative, patient-centric manner. In his spare time, he enjoys going to the gym, playing golf and spending time with his wife and daughter. He enjoys engaging conversation — especially about people’s life-stories, wine, and good coffee.
