Good remains chair of NHMRC

Professor Michael Good, Director of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, will remain as chair of the National Health and Medical Research Council for a second term after a new Council line-up was announced today by the Federal Government.

Good was recently recognised with an Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Leadership in Science.

Joining Good on the newly-appointed NHMRC are the the nine Chief Medical or Health Officers of the Commonwealth, state and territory governments, as well as the five Chairs of the NHMRC's Principal Committees and four other individuals focusing on Indigenous health, nursing, business and consumer issues.

2009-2012 NHMRC Council members

Professor Michael Good AO – Chair Professor Good is Director of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research and he chaired the previous NHMRC Council from 2006-2009. His interests are in the field of immunity to malaria and streptococcus/rheumatic fever, with particular emphasis on the development of vaccines. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2008 for his services to medical research, particularly in the fields of infectious disease immunology and vaccine technology.

Professor James Best Professor Best is Head of the School of Medicine at the University of Melbourne and will chair the NHMRC Research Committee. He has taught extensively during his career, especially on the topic of diabetes and metabolism. 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.

Dr Sandra Hacker AO Dr Hacker chairs the board of Northern Health, Melbourne and will chair NHMRC’s Australian Health Ethics Committee. She is a psychiatrist in private practice and her primary area of clinical interest is in severe trauma. Her clinical work involves mostly long-term psychotherapy with adult victims of severe childhood sexual assault. Dr Hacker was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2005 for her services to the medical profession.

Professor Ron Trent Professor Trent is Professor of Molecular Genetics at the University of Sydney and Director of the Department of Molecular and Clinical Genetics at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. He is a nationally recognised leader in the field of human molecular genetics who has pioneered many developments in this area, including DNA testing facilities and education of postgraduates in laboratory genetics. Professor Trent will chair the NHMRC Human Genetics Advisory Committee.

Professor John Horvath AO Professor Horvath is currently Principal Medical Consultant for the Australian Department of Health and Ageing and was formerly Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer (CMO) from 2003-2009. Prior to his appointment as CMO, Professor Horvath was Professor of Renal Medicine at the University of Sydney and a specialist renal physician at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2001 for his services to medicine. Professor Horvath will chair the new NHMRC Health Care Committee.

Professor Kerin O’Dea AO Professor O’Dea is Director of the Sansom Institute for Health Research at the University of South Australia. She is a nutrition scientist and public health researcher who has made major contributions to understanding the relationship between diet and chronic diseases. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2004 for ‘service in the areas of medical and nutrition research, to the development of public health policy, and to the community, particularly Indigenous Australians’. Professor O’Dea will chair NHMRC’s new Prevention and Community Health Committee.

Professor Cindy Shannon Professor Shannon is the Director of Shannon Consulting, a company specialising in providing management, policy and workforce services and support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. She is also Professor of Indigenous Health in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Queensland and senior policy advisor for the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council. She brings experience in the health needs of Aboriginal persons and Torres Strait Islanders to the NHMRC Council.

Ms Anne Cahill Lambert AM Ms Cahill Lambert is a member of the Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority’s Advisory Council (ministerial appointee) and the Consumer Health Forum. She is also a past Chief Executive Office of Women’s Hospitals Australasia. She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2005 for ‘service to health care administration, particularly through contributions to improve hospital services for women and children’. She brings expertise in consumer issues to the NHMRC Council.

Dr Andrew Cuthbertson Dr Cuthbertson is R&D Director and Chief Scientific Officer of biopharmaceutical company CSL Limited. He has a keen interest in biotechnology drug development, particularly in the emerging field of immunotherapy for infectious diseases and cancer. He brings high level business expertise to the NHMRC Council.

Ms Rosemary Bryant Ms Bryant is the Commonwealth Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer. She is a health industry executive and registered nurse with experience in major hospitals, community health, State Government, health consultancy, a health membership organisation and Commonwealth Government. She brings expertise in the nursing professions to the NHMRC Council.

Professor James Bishop AO Professor Bishop is Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for the Australian Government. He plays a key, strategic role in developing and administering major health reforms for all Australians and his close association with Australia’s medical fraternities and researchers is crucial in developing evidence-based public health policy. Professor Bishop was previously a Professor of Cancer Medicine at the University of Sydney and is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP) and the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (FRCPA). He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2008 for service to medicine, particularly in the field of cancer treatment and research.

Dr Kerry Chant Dr Chant is a public health physician, Chief Health Officer for NSW and Deputy Director-General, Population Health, NSW Health. Prior to this she was Director, Health Protection and Deputy Chief Health Officer, NSW Health. Dr Chant has extensive public health experience, having held a range of senior positions in NSW public health units since 1991. She has a particular interest in blood-borne virus infections, communicable disease prevention and control, and Indigenous health.

Dr John Carnie Dr Carnie is Chief Health Officer for Victoria. Prior to this he was Director, Disease Control and Research of Victoria’s Department of Human Services. He has expertise and experience in a range of public health issues including emerging community risks, communicable diseases, environmental health and food safety. He has been a member of numerous public health, scientific and research advisory committees and is a Fellow and past President of the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine. He was awarded the Public Service Medal in the 2009 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Dr Jeannette Young Dr Young is Chief Health Officer for Queensland. She was previously Executive Director of Medical Services at Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital and Director of Medical Services at Rockhampton Base Hospital. She is a member of the Medical Board of Queensland, the Queensland Institute of Medical Research Council, the Queensland Emergency Medical System Advisory Committee and the Queensland Blood Advisory Committee. She is also Queensland’s representative on the Australian Health Protection Committee, the Clinical, Technical and Ethical Principal Committee and the newly formed Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority Principal Committee.

Professor Paddy Phillips Professor Phillips is Chief Medical Officer for South Australia, Chair of the South Australian Clinical Senate and Chair of the South Australian Statewide Clinical Network in Cardiology. He was previously Professor and Head of Medicine, Flinders University, Flinders Medical Centre and Repatriation General Hospital in Adelaide. Before that he held senior clinical academic posts at the University of Melbourne followed by Oxford University. His interests are in building a better health system through innovation, collaboration and leadership. He remains clinically active in acute general medicine.

Dr Simon Towler Dr Towler is Chief Medical Officer for Western Australia, a member of the Western Australian State Health Executive Forum and a senior clinician who continues to practise in intensive care. He is a Fellow of the Joint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine (JFICM), the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (FANZCA) and the Australian Medical Association (FAMA). Dr Towler has responsibility for the research portfolio in the WA Department of Health and is an enthusiastic supporter of the ongoing development of the role of the National Institute of Clinical Studies within the NHMRC.

Dr Craig White Dr White is Chief Health Officer for Tasmania. He is responsible for optimising the health of Tasmanians, supporting the medical profession, developing the health system and providing expert advice. He was previously Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Hobart Hospital, which is affiliated with the University of Tasmania and the Menzies Research Institute. His former positions include Executive Director of Medical Services at Southern Health in Victoria; and Acting Chief Executive, Executive Director Clinical Services and Chief Medical Officer at Austin Health in Melbourne.

Dr Charles Guest Dr Guest is Chief Health Officer for the ACT and Visiting Fellow, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Australian National University. He has worked in government and academic public health in Australia and elsewhere, and has carried out research on chronic disease in Australian Aborigines, communicable disease and environmental health. He has been a Councillor of the Australasian Epidemiological Association, the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine, and the Public Health Association of Australia. He is also co-editor of the Oxford Handbook of Public Health Practice.

Dr Barbara Paterson Dr Paterson is Chief Health Officer for the Northern Territory and Executive Director, Health Protection Division of the Territory’s Department of Health and Families. She is a medical graduate of the University of Manchester, has a background in general practice and is a Fellow of the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine. Having worked in the Northern Territory for almost 20 years, she has experience in Aboriginal Health and in a range of roles including service provision and policy and program development.