Dr Kris Nowakowski

MBBS, FRACP, FCSANZ, NBE (USA), FASE

Thank you for your interest in my website. I am a Cardiologist and internationally recognised Echocardiography Specialist with expertise in echocardiography, guidance of structural intervention and electrophysiology procedures, valvular heart disease, heart failure, sports and preventative cardiology and cardio-oncology.

I finished secondary school at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide, where I was awarded the prize for Dux of School and an Australian Student Prize. I undertook my medical degree at the University of Adelaide, graduating in 2001.

I embarked on basic physician training at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, where I also started my cardiology training. Attracted to the leading cardiothoracic hospital in Australia, I completed advanced cardiology training at The Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane, where I also gained fellowship experience in general cardiology, electrophysiology and cardiac catheterisation. I was recognised as a CT Coronary Angiogram specialist and commenced a cardiac imaging fellowship, focusing on stress echocardiography.

To further develop my skills in echocardiography, I travelled to Canada to undertake an advanced echocardiography fellowship at St Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, a world-renowned centre for heart valve innovation. My focus was in the trans-oesophageal echo guidance of structural heart disease intervention and electrophysiology procedures and stress echocardiography. I was part of the team that guided the first two ‘in-man’ percutaneous mitral valve replacements as well as almost 100 transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVR).

In 2014, I accepted a position as clinical lead of echocardiography at The Canberra Hospital, where I currently work as a staff specialist. Here I introduced the use of contrast and strain, 3D transoesophageal, and exercise and dobutamine stress echocardiography.

I am dedicated to practising cardiology according to world's best practice and international guidelines. I attend several national and international conferences every year, and undertake a rigorous self-education program. I successfully completed the National Board exam of special competence in echocardiography and have been certified as a Diplomate in echocardiography by the American National Board of Echocardiography. I was elected as a Fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography in recognition of my expertise and extraordinary commitment to cardiovascular ultrasound.  

I am also committed to ongoing teaching and research. My work has been published in international and national journals and I have given oral presentations at international and national meetings. I have an active role in the teaching and mentoring of cardiology trainees and junior doctors, as a clinical lecturer at the Australian National University.

I consult and perform procedures in my private rooms at the Canberra Heart Clinic, National Capital Private Hospital and The Canberra Hospital.

In my spare time, I love spending time with my wife and son, as well as cycling, skiing, landscape photography, practising yoga and trying to perfect the art of making coffee.