Christopher Wong

Professor Christopher Wong

Professor of Medicine

Adelaide Medical School

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


Professor Christopher X Wong MBBS MSc MPH PhD FRACP FACC FESC is a clinical and academic cardiologist specialising in heart rhythm disorders.

He attended Pembroke School on full scholarship, graduating as Dux and with a maximum tertiary entrance rank (top 0.05%). After studying medicine at the University of Adelaide, where he was an elected member of the University Council, he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. He read for masters degrees in clinical trials and population health at the University of Oxford, and completed a PhD in cardiovascular medicine. He was subsequently awarded Fulbright and Menzies Scholarships, completing a masters of epidemiology at Harvard University and a clinical/research fellowship at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), where catheter ablation was first developed and undertaken in humans.

In 2023, Chris returned to Australia and was appointed to joint positions as a Professor of Cardiology at the University of Adelaide and Consultant Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist at the Royal Adelaide and Queen Elizabeth Hospitals.

Chris specializes clinically in complex ablation and device cases, including atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, and lead extraction. He is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Physicians (FRACP), American College of Cardiology (FACC), and European Society of Cardiology (FESC).

He has published over 300 journal articles and conference proceedings (h-index 37) in major general medical (British Medical Journal, Archives of Internal Medicine), cardiovascular (Circulation, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, European Heart Journal) and subspecialty journals. He has held multiple Category 1 scholarships, fellowships and grants totalling over AUD 4 million dollars in funding from the NHMRC, MRFF, Heart Foundation and other bodies. He is an Associate Editor for BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, European Heart Journal Case Reports & Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, reviews regularly for over 40 international journals, and sits on multiple grant-funding committees, such as those of the NHMRC, MRFF and Heart Foundation. He has also been an invited faculty member at the leading international (Heart Rhythm Society Annual Scientific Sessions) and Asia-Pacific (Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society Annual Scientific Sessions) heart rhythm conferences, and a member of international guideline committees. He is actively involved in supervising research students and has been recognised with awards for education and teaching.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field, Professor Wong was awarded an EL2 Investigator Grant from the NHMRC (2024-2028) for his project "New approaches to the prevention and management of heart rhythm disorders".

My research interests span the spectrum of heart rhythm disorders from atrial fibrillation through to ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. We employ a variety of methodological approaches to investigate these conditions:

1) Epidemiological/population based studies (e.g. using cohort studies, routine data sources, systematic reviews/meta-analyses)

2) Mechanistic studies (e.g. using electrophysiological studies, electroanatomic mapping, cardiac imaging, animal models)

3) Clinical and intervention studies (e.g. management approaches for arrhythmias, clinical trials of pharmacologic/device/ablation therapies)

  • Appointments

    Date Position Institution name
    2023 - ongoing Professor of Cardiology University of Adelaide
    2023 - ongoing Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist Royal Adelaide and Queen Elizabeth Hospitals
    2021 - 2023 Associate Professor of Medicine University of Adelaide
    2021 - 2023 Fellow in Cardiac Electrophysiology University of California, San Francisco
    2019 - 2021 Electrophysiology and Pacing Fellow Royal Adelaide Hospital
    2016 - 2019 Cardiology Registrar Royal Adelaide Hospital
    2015 - 2018 NHMRC Neil Hamilton Fairley Fellow Universities of Oxford and Adelaide
    2014 - 2016 Specialist Registrar Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust
    2013 - 2020 Senior Lecturer University of Adelaide
    2013 - 2016 Clinical Research Fellow Clinical Trial Service Unit, University of Oxford
  • Education

    Date Institution name Country Title
    University of Adelaide Australia MBBS
    University of Oxford United Kingdom MSc Clinical Trials
    University of Oxford Australia MSc Population Health
    Harvard University United States MPH Epidemiology
    University of Adelaide Adelaide PhD
    Royal Australasian College of Physicians Australia FRACP
    American College of Cardiology United States FACC
    European Society of Cardiology Europe FESC
    International Board of Heart Rhythm Examiners United States CCDS
  • Research Interests

  • 2020: Fulbright Scholarship
  • 2020: Robert G. Menzies Harvard University Scholarship
  • 2019: National Heart Foundation (NHF) Post-Doctoral Fellowship
  • 2019: The Hospital Research Foundation Mid-Career Fellowship
  • 2018: Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) Trainee Research Award
  • 2017: Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) Robert Maple-Brown Research Establishment Fellowship
  • 2015: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Neil Hamilton Fairley Clinical Fellowship
  • 2015: National Heart Foundation (NHF) of Australia Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • 2013: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Postgraduate Scholarship
  • 2012: Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand McCredie-Wilcken Fellowship (Top-Ranked Applicant)
  • 2010: Rhodes Scholarship
  • 2010: Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand Poster Prize (First Place)
  • 2008: Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand Affiliate Prize (First Place)
  • 2005: Australian Federal Government Student Prize
  • 2004: Dux of Pembroke School (Attended on Full Scholarship)
  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2021 Principal Supervisor Cardiometabolic, genetic and lifestyle risk factors for arrhythmias Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr Samuel Jie Tu
  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2019 - 2023 Co-Supervisor Comprehensive Evaluation of Clinical Care in Patients with Cardiac Implanted Electronic Devices and Arrhythmias: Action towards Improved Workflow and Outcomes Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Bradley Matthew Pitman
    2016 - 2019 Co-Supervisor Improving Patient Outcomes and Reducing Health Care Burden - The Need for a New Paradigm of Care Delivery for Atrial Fibrillation Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Celine Gallagher
  • Other Supervision Activities

    Date Role Research Topic Location Program Supervision Type Student Load Student Name
    2020 - ongoing Co-Supervisor Ophthalmic Manifestations of Cardiovascular Disease University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital - Master - Dr Sonia Huang
    2020 - ongoing Principal Supervisor Atrial Fibrillation in Indigenous and non-Indigenous Individuals in Central Australia University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital - Honours - Dr Nicholas Clarke
    2020 - ongoing Principal Supervisor Associations of anaemia and iron-deficiency with cardiopulmonary exercise testing in patients with atrial fibrillation University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital - Honours - Ms Nicole Hanna-Rivero
    2020 - ongoing Principal Supervisor Effect of Iron Repletion in Symptomatic Patients with Atrial Fibrillation University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital - Honours - Mr Samuel J. Tu
  • Position: Professor of Medicine
  • Phone: 70741787
  • Email: c.wong@adelaide.edu.au
  • Fax: 70746182
  • Campus: Royal Adelaide Hospital
  • Building: RAH, floor 4
  • Org Unit: Medical Specialties

Connect With Me
External Profiles