University staff awarded AAHMS fellowships

Medical Building
University of Melbourne staff have been named Fellows of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences

10 staff members from the University of Melbourne and our partner institutions have been elected as new Fellows of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS).

Fellows are elected by their peers in recognition of their outstanding achievements and contributions to health and medical sciences. The new Fellows include:

  • Professor David Burgner from the Royal Children’s Hospital, recognised for his leading research into Kawasaki disease and his major contributions to the Australian response to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly hyperinflammatory post-infectious syndrome in children.
  • Professor Leonid Churilov from the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Science (MDHS), recognised for leading a complex and comprehensive design and analysis of acute and recovery stroke trials that have resulted in global changes in clinical practice.
  • Professor Phillip Darcy from Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, recognised for his pivotal role in developing T cell-based immunotherapy approaches for cancer patients, which has led to licensing of an international patent that underpins five therapies for CD19+ blood cancers.
  • Professor Ian Davis from Austin Health, recognised for his 30+ years of experience in genitourinary cancers.
  • Professor Ian Freckelton AO QC from Melbourne Law School and Melbourne Medical School, MDHS, recognised for his extensive contributions to health law and policy, including as founder of the Journal of Law and Medicine and publishing through a series of edited books on health law.
  • Professor Jane Hocking from MDHS, recognised for her research into chlamydia, which has led to changes in policy and treatment guidelines globally.
  • Professor Anne Kavanagh from MDHS, recognised for her research influence on national and local government policy, including in relation to approaches to improve the health of people with disability by reducing disability-related discrimination and violence, as well as improving employment outcomes for people with disability and ensuring people with disability have been safe during COVID-19.
  • Professor Laura Mackay from the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and MDHS, recognised for her work on tissue-resident memory T cells and their involvement in viral and tumour immunity. Professor Mackay is the Academy’s youngest-ever Fellow to be elected.
  • Professor Mark Stevenson from the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, recognised for his research into the effects of personalised road safety feedback and incentives through a smartphone application using GPS.
  • Professor Benjamin Solomon from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, recognised for his identification of new treatments, changed standards of care and improved outcomes for patients with lung caner.

For more on the new Fellows, visit the AAHMS website.