Royal honours awarded

The cream of Australia’s medical professionals has been awarded Queen’s Birthday Honours …

Laureate Professor Alan Lopez, director of the Global Burden of Disease Group, in the School of Population and Global Health at the University of Melbourne, heads a distinguished group of medical professionals named on the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Professor Lopez was awarded the highest honour, Companion (AC) in the General Division of the Order of Australia, for “eminent service to science, both nationally and internationally, as an academic, researcher and author, and to the advancement of planning and policy development to improve public health in developing countries”.

He is an international authority on the global burden of disease and the use of health data for the development of health systems and policy.

Professor Lopez was the Australian to be named in the top 10 most influential academics worldwide in a recent analysis of thousands of academic papers by Thomson-Reuters.

Prior to working at the University of Melbourne, Professor Lopez worked at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva for 22 years in senior roles, including chief epidemiologist in WHO’s Tobacco Control Program (1992–95), manager of WHO’s Program on Substance Abuse (1996–98), director of the Epidemiology and Burden of Disease Unit (1999–2001) and senior science advisor to the Director-General (2002).

He spent 9 years as the head of the University of Queensland’s School of Population Health before joining the University of Melbourne.

Seven medical professionals were named Officers (AO) in the General Division:

Professor Frances Baum, is a Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor of Public Health and Director of the Southgate Institute of Health, Society and Equity at Flinders University in Adelaide. She was cited “for distinguished service to higher education as an academic and public health researcher, as an advocate for improved access to community health care, and to professional organisations”. She is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, and one of Australia’s leading researchers on the social and economic determinants of health. Professor Baum’s publications relate to social determinants of health, including Indigenous health, health inequities, primary health care, health promotion, Healthy Cities, and social capital. Her textbook The new public health is widely used as a core public health text.

Professor James Best, Dean of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Novena Campus, in Singapore, was cited “for distinguished service to medicine, particularly in the area of endocrinology, to medical education as an academic, researcher and administrator, and to rural and Indigenous health”. Professor Best was the Head of the Medical School at the University of Melbourne until his move to Singapore in July of 2014. He has taught extensively during his career, especially on the topic of diabetes and metabolism, as well as on the medical interview. His research has involved physiological and molecular studies of glucose disposal, as well as studies of lipid biochemistry and epidemiological and clinical studies of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in diabetes. His current research is predominantly in healthcare delivery for diabetes prevention and management. In 2006, he was appointed to the Council of Australia’s peak funding body for medical research, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), and from July 2006 to June 2012 served as Chair of the NHMRC Research Committee.

Professor Glenn Bowes has been Senior Associate Dean (Engagement) and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne since 2007. He was cited for “distinguished service to medical education and its administration, to the advancement of child health and welfare, and through contributions to government and professional organisations”. Professor Bowes was director of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute from 2003 to 2007. He has been heavily involved with the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, holding the Stevenson Chair in Paediatrics from 2002–2007, receiving the RCH Gold Medal in 2014, and was a Council member from 2008 to 2012. He has been on the board of Anglicare Victoria since 2012.

Dr Andrew Cuthbertson has been Chief Scientific Officer and Director of Research and Development at CSL Limited, since 2000. He was a member of the NHMRC’s Council from 2010 to 2013. He was cited for “distinguished service to medical science, particularly through the development and delivery of innovative biotherapies to assist public health, and to professional research organisations”. Dr Cuthbertson manages an internal research and development budget of over $350 million, and a global organisation of 800 scientists. He trained for 5 years in molecular biology at the Howard Florey Institute in Melbourne and the National Institutes of Health in the US. He spent 7 years at Genentech in San Francisco and worked on anti-VEGF therapy for age-related macular degeneration. Dr Cuthbertson has been a director of Zenyth Therapeutics since November 2006.

Professor Douglas Hilton has been Director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute since 2009 and Head of the Department of Medical Biology at the University of Melbourne since 2006. He was cited for “distinguished service to medical research and education, particularly in the field of haematology, as a molecular biologist and author, to gender equity, and as a mentor of young scientists”. Professor Hilton has been president of the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes since 2014 and is a Fellow of both the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, and the Australian Academy of Science. His research interests include identifying genes and molecular pathways that are important in regulating normal blood cell production and understanding the changes that lead to blood cell disorders such as autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, leukemia and lymphoma.

Dr Hannah Krause has been a urogynaecologist at the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital in Brisbane since 2006. She was cited for “distinguished service to medicine in the field of urology and gynaecology, particularly through surgical assistance to women in developing countries throughout Asia and Africa”. Dr Krause has worked as a volunteer specialist in fistula camps and clinics in Uganda, Cambodia, Ghana, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh since the mid-1990s.

Professor David Le Couteur is a senior staff specialist in geriatric medicine at Concord Repatriation General Hospital in Sydney, and a professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Sydney. He was cited for “distinguished service to medicine as a clinical pharmacologist and geriatrician, particularly through a range of advisory roles and academic research activities”. Professor Le Couteur has been Director of the Centre for Education and Research on Ageing, since 2001, and Scientific Director of the Ageing and Alzheimer’s Institute since 2014. He is also Director of the Biogerontology Laboratory at the ANZAC Research Institute. His research interests include biogerontology, liver and aging, liver sinusoid and aging, nutrition and aging, and geriatric pharmacology. In 2015, he was awarded the Rand Medal from the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists.

Member (AM) in the General Division:

Dr Gordon Beaumont, ACT: For significant service to medicine, particularly in the field of otolaryngology, and to medical research and education.

Emeritus Professor Sidney Bloch, Vic: For significant service to medicine in the field of psychiatry, to medical education as an academic and author, and as a mentor and role model.

Professor Daniel Cass, NSW: For significant service to paediatric medicine as a surgeon, academic and researcher, and to child accident prevention and trauma care.

Associate Professor Kaye Challinger, SA: For significant service to medical administration, to the advancement of nurse education, and to quality health care delivery.

Mr Kenneth Davis, SA: For significant service to biomedical science and transfusion medicine in South Australia, and to a range of professional blood management groups.

Dr John Dewdney, NSW: For significant service to tertiary education as an academic, researcher and administrator, particularly in the field of public health development.

Dr Nicholas Dorsch, NSW: For significant service to medicine as a neurosurgeon, to medical education and training both nationally and internationally, and to research.

Dr Jack Edelman, WA: For significant service to community health, particularly to people with arthritis and osteoporosis, and to medicine as a rheumatologist.

Professor John Fletcher, NSW: For significant service to medicine as a vascular surgeon, to medical education as an academic, and to professional associations.

Dr Aidan Foy, NSW: For significant service to medicine, particularly to gastroenterology, to medical education and administration, and to the community.

Dr Peter Heiner, Qld: For significant service to medicine as an ophthalmologist, to medical education and eye health research, and to professional organisations.

Dr Geoffrey Hirst, Qld: For significant service to medicine, particularly in the field of urology, as a clinician, and to medical education and administration.

Dr John Kennedy, Vic: For significant service to medicine, particularly in the field of otolaryngology, to medical education and training, and to the community.

Associate Professor John King, Vic: For significant service to medicine as a neurologist, to medical education, to multiple sclerosis research, and to professional organisations.

Associate Professor Vicki Kotsirilos, Vic: For significant service to integrative medicine, to health practitioner standards and regulation, to medical education, and to the environment.

Dr William Lawson, SA: For significant service to medicine as a general practitioner, to medical heritage and professional organisations, and to the community.

Professor Robert McLachlan, Vic: For significant service to medicine in the field of endocrinology, particularly to men’s reproductive health, and to medical research.

Dr Jennifer May, NSW: For significant service to community health in rural and regional areas, as a general practitioner, to professional medical groups, and to education.

Emeritus Professor Peter Mudge, Tas: For significant service to medicine through contributions to professional organisations, to research and tertiary education, and to the community.

Dr John O’Donnell, NSW: For significant service to community health and education through a range of broadcast media roles, and to medicine as a general practitioner.

Professor Joseph Proietto, Vic: For significant service to medicine in the field of endocrinology, particularly obesity and diabetes research, and as a clinician, educator and mentor.

Mr Michael Ralston, Tas: For significant service to medical practice, research and governance, particularly in the field of pathology and laboratory services.

Professor Avni Sali, Vic: For significant service to integrative medicine as an educator, clinician and researcher, and to professional education.

Professor Max Schwarz, Vic: For significant service to medicine in the field of oncology as a clinician, mentor and researcher.

Professor Derrick Silove, NSW: For significant service to medicine in the field of psychiatry, to medical research as an academic, and to the promotion of mental health and human rights.

Dr John Skipper, SA: For significant service to medicine in the field of gynaecology as an advocate of women’s health and the early detection of cervical cancer.

Clinical Professor Iven Young, NSW: For significant service to respiratory and sleep medicine as a clinician, administrator, researcher and mentor, and to professional societies.

Medal (OAM) in the General Division:

Dr David Brumley, Vic: For service to medicine as a general practitioner, and to palliative care.

Associate Professor David Bryant, NSW: For service to thoracic medicine, and to medical education.

Associate Professor Brett Courtenay, NSW: For service to orthopaedic medicine, and to medical education.

Dr Bernard Crimmins, Vic: For service to medicine, and to men’s health awareness.

Dr Hannes Gebauer, WA: For service to medicine as a dermatologist, and to hockey.

Dr Robyn Napier, NSW: For service to professional medical associations.

Associate Professor Nina Sacharias, Vic: For service to medicine in the field of radiology.

Dr David Sevier, NSW: For service to medicine as a general practitioner.

Dr Jan Swinnen, NSW: For service to medicine, particularly through international humanitarian roles.

Dr Richard Travers, Vic: For service to medical history, to medicine, and to the community.

Dr Gerrit Westerink, NSW: For service to medicine, particularly in the field of psychiatry.