37 new Fellows for Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences

The Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS) has elected 37 new Fellows, including 12 women, in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the health and medical research landscape in Australia. Their election brings the Academy’s total Fellowship to 357.

Hailing from all across Australia, each of the new Fellows has had a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of Australians and the world, representing a diverse range of fields from immunology and genomics, to biomechanics and biostatistics, through to physiotherapy, mental health and Indigenous health.

Highlighted researchers include:

• Professor Jo Salmon, who has spent 20 years studying how time spent sitting down affects health and developing interventions to reduce sitting time in young people.
• Professor Anne Kelso, an immunologist who has many years of distinguished service to the health and medical research community, most recently as CEO of the National Health and Medical Research Council.
• Professor Anthony Rodgers, who developed the first m-Health smoking cessation program and led development and testing of affordable cardiovascular combination pills (‘polypills’).
• Professor David Durrheim, who is a leading public health advocate, who has worked to improve immunisation services and the methods we use to detect and respond to disease outbreaks in Australia and globally.
• Professor Lynne Bilston (pictured), whose work includes fundamental research in how soft tissues respond to mechanical loading — including developing national guidelines for the safe restraint of children in motor vehicles.
   

“I am delighted to welcome these 37 outstanding researchers to the Academy’s Fellowship,” said Academy President Professor Ian Frazer AC. “Their diverse talents and expertise reflect the incredible breadth and depth of Australia’s world-class health and medical research.

“We work with our Fellows to strengthen the health and medical research landscape in Australia. It is thanks to their expertise that we can play a valuable role in ensuring that Australia continues to address some of the world’s most pressing health challenges.”

The full list of new Fellows can be found at the Academy website.