Associate Professor Vivek Thakkar is an academic rheumatologist in active clinical practice, who is an Associate Professor in Medicine and Deputy Stage 2 Lead of the Macquarie Medicine Program (Macquarie MD). His passions are excellent clinical care, medical education, and reducing the burden of musculoskeletal and autoimmune diseases.

Vivek has all-round experience in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, most recently as the Clinical SubDean of the Macarthur Clinical School (2013-2017), Year 2 convenor and Elected Member of the Academic Senate of Western Sydney University. He was the Director of Training for the NSW branch of the Australian Rheumatology Association (ARA)(2014-2017). He sits on the Registry, Research and Education committees of the Pulmonary Hypertension Society of Australia and New Zealand. He is an examiner of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. He has supervised and delivered education to all levels of Doctors in Training. He regularly speaks and publishes education material relevant to primary care and the community.

Vivek was awarded a Doctor of Medical Science from the University of Melbourne for his research into autoimmune connective tissue diseases and pulmonary hypertension, an area that remains of significant interest. He has published in both the basic and clinical sciences, with skills in clinical epidemiology, database management and analysis, and with interest in quantitative and qualitative methods. He is involved in investigator and pharmaceutical clinical trials. From 2014 to 2018, he was the co-chair of the Annual Scientific Meeting Committee of the Australian Rheumatology Association.

Vivek has broad clinical interests, spanning all aspects of adult rheumatology but especially autoimmune connective tissue diseases, cardiopulmonary complications, inflammatory arthritis and osteoporosis. These days he sees patients mainly in his consulting rooms but he is involved in the Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic at Liverpool Hospital, and previously held significant roles as a staff specialist at the Liverpool Hospital (since 2013) and VMO at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne (2011-2013).