Fellowship

The Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences elects the best and brightest minds in the field of medical and health sciences as Fellows.

Fellows are elected in recognition of their outstanding achievements and exceptional contributions to the sector. The Fellowship are acknowledged for their clinical, non-clinical, leadership, industry and research contributions.

About Fellowship with AAHMS

Find Fellows of the AAHMS

To find Fellows of our Academy either use the search form below or download the full list of current Fellows here.

Name

Position

Level

Elected

State

Clinical Head, Breast Medical Oncology
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Fellow
2019
VIC

Professor Prue Francis is an internationally renowned breast cancer clinician researcher. She is the Clinical Lead of Breast Medical Oncology at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. She is Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Breast Cancer Trials group which is the largest cancer collaborative research group in Australasia. She developed and led the international SOFT randomised trial that resulted in improved overall survival for young women with early breast cancer and resulted in changes to international breast cancer treatment guidelines. In 2015 she was awarded the prestigious Medical Oncology Group of Australia Cancer Achievement Award.

Director of Intensive Care
The Wesley Hospital
Fellow
2019
QLD

Over a 20-year career, Professor Bala Venkatesh has played a major role in the development and establishment of academic intensive care medicine in Australia through outstanding contributions to education and research. He is recognised as a leading basic science and clinicianresearcher in intensive care medicine, and led international clinical trials that have had a substantive impact on patients. He was instrumental in establishing the College of Intensive Care Medicine. As President of the College, he led the agenda in addressing various social issues relevant to training such as bullying and harassment, gender balance and tackling capacity to train.

OAM FAA FASSA FAHMS
Senior Principal Research Fellow; Head of Psychiatric Genetics; Coordinator, Mental Health Research Program
QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
Fellow
2019
QLD

Professor Sarah Medland’s work bridges Genetics, Psychology, Neuro-Imaging and applied Statistics with a focus on understanding the genetic and environmental contributions to human behaviour and disease. Sarah was instrumental in founding the Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis consortium. This large international consortium brings together researchers from more than 50 cohorts from around the world. Sarah has played an integral role in the development of this multidisciplinary project and provided strong leadership chairing the genetics working groups. Sarah’s international reputation and research achievements are highlighted by the awards she has received.

Professor and Head, Prostate Cancer Program
Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University & Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Fellow
2019
VIC

Professor Gail Risbridger is an International leader in prostate cancer and Men’s Health. Her world class program of patient derived xenografted specimens that is used for translational preclinical discovery and testing, lead or are incorporated in global alliances (e.g. US Army DOD partnership, Movember GAP program). She serves on Governance bodies (e.g. Cancer Council Victoria, State Board PCFA, Freemasons Foundation for Men’s Health) and on the executive of Andrology Australia. She was a leader in development of a National Men’s Health policy in 2010 and is currently an NHMRC Fellow Senior Principal Research Fellow.

Laboratory Head
The Doherty Institute
Fellow
2019
VIC

Professor Katherine Kedzierska is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at The Peter Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne. She is an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow and Head of Human T cell Laboratory. Over the past 19 years, working in the field of Immunology, Professor Kedzierska defined universal and broadlyprotective T-cell immunity to seasonal, pandemic and newly-emerged influenza viruses. She provided an understanding why some groups, including Indigenous Australians, elderly and patients with co-morbidities succumb to severe influenza disease. Professor Kedzierska, with 138 publications at 16 years after PhD, has been recognised by a number of prestigious Awards and Fellowships.

Dean, College of Health and Medicine
The Australian National University
Fellow
2019
ACT

Professor Russell Gruen is Dean of the ANU College of Health and Medicine and a surgeon at The Canberra Hospital. Previously he was Professor of Surgery and Public Health at Monash University and Director of the National Trauma Research Institute, after which he led health technologies and international partnerships at Nanyang Technological University Singapore.
He has made substantial contributions to care for the severely injured, and strengthened research infrastructure with a national trauma registry, a prehospital clinical trials network, and novel evidence-based medicine capabilities. He is recognised for influential work on professional ethics, and interdisciplinary research with strong emphasis patient benefit.

Laureate Professor
The University of Newcastle
Fellow
2019
NSW

Professor Clare Collins is an internationally recognised researcher and a sought after media commentator on the science of food and nutrition. Prof Collins’ research is transforming the way medical nutrition therapy is delivered and valued in both clinical and public health settings. Her research develops and validates eHealth nutrition interventions for people at specific lifestages such as pregnancy; or with non-communicable disease, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, who have an increased risk of diet-related morbidity and mortality. Prof Collins is recognised as an international leader in eHealth technology innovations that address barriers to improving the diet-related chronic disease through translation of research outcomes to the community.

Director, Cancer Research Division
Cancer Council NSW
Fellow
2019
NSW

Professor Karen Canfell is internationally recognised for her work on optimising cervical cancer screening in the era of HPV vaccination and on the prospects for cervical cancer elimination. Based on evidence generated by her team, in 2017 the Australian National Cervical Screening Program transitioned from two-yearly Pap smears to five-yearly primary HPV screening – as a result Australia is set to be the first country to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health issue. Her team’s work on the global impact of scaled-up cervical cancer prevention initiatives is supporting the World Health Organisation’s call-to-action towards global cervical cancer elimination.

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Student Life)
The University of Melbourne
Fellow
2019
VIC

Professor Sarah Wilson is an internationally recognised expert in Cognitive Neuroscience and Clinical Neuropsychology. Her research program has advanced our understanding of how the human brain underpins our thinking and behavior. She has pioneered music brain research in Australia, showing how music can enhance brain function in healthy individuals, and help recovery after brain injury. She has also described a new clinical syndrome that occurs following treatment of brain disorders, leading to better management of the cognitive, emotional, and social difficulties faced by individuals as they recover. Her work has been awarded multiple prizes and changed clinical practice around the world.

NHMRC Senior Principal Research Scientist
Neuroscience Research Australia
Fellow
2019
NSW

Neuroscientists, no less than geographers, require accurate maps, coordinate systems, nomenclature and ontologies for navigation and communication. Professor Paxinos is the leading cartographer of the brain and spinal cord. He has advanced our understanding of the organisation of the central nervous system (CNS) of both humans and the main animal species used in neuroscience. Most scientists working on the human CNS, or animal models of disease, use Paxinos’ atlases and concepts of brain and spinal cord organisation. His work is of importance to many disciplines, including anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, psychology, psychiatry, neurology and neurosurgery.

Our Fellows sit at the heart of everything we do. They represent Australia’s leading minds in health and medical sciences, having been recognised for their clinical, non-clinical, leadership, industry and research contributions.

To be considered for election to the Academy’s Fellowship, a candidate must show exceptional professional achievement in a field related to health and/or medicine.

Fellows contribute to the projects and activities of the Academy and must be willing to be active participants.

Successful Fellowship candidates will have shown:

  • Outstanding leadership in their field.
  • Significant and ongoing involvement with issues of health care, prevention of disease, education, research, and health services policy and delivery.

Candidates for Fellowship should meet the following criteria:

  • National and International recognition for excellence in health and medical science
  • Significant, sustained and ongoing contributions to advance health and medical science in Australia (relative to opportunity)
  • Contribution to the profession through leadership and mentorship
  • Raised public understanding and promoting health and medical science in the broader community



Download criteria for Fellowship

Each year, current Fellows of the Academy are invited to nominate up to four new candidates who meet the criteria and fulfil the required expectations.

Nominations by a Fellow of two new candidates must ensure that at least one nomination is a woman. Nominations by a Fellow of four new candidates must ensure that at least two nominations are women.

How to make a nomination

Fellows wishing to nominate a candidate for Fellowship should contact the secretariat to confirm candidate eligibility and receive and instructions on how to submit the completed nomination documentation online. 

Fellows wishing to nominate a candidate for a Corresponding Fellowship should contact the secretariat for more information.

Secretariat contact details
Email: [email protected]

Phone: 07 3102 7220

Nomination guidelines for ordinary Fellowship

October 2023
Newly elected Fellows of 2023 are inducted at the Annual Meeting.

18 September 2023- 30 November 2023
Nominations are invited from existing Fellows until the closing date of 30 November.

December 2023
Nominations allocated to Selection Committees.

January – April 2024
Referees’ reports sought.

Early May 2024
Selection Committees meet to consider nominations and provide final recommendations to the Council.

Early-to-mid-July 2024
Council meets to finalise recommendations.

Late July 2024
Full Fellowship invited to comment on recommended new fellows.

August 2024
Election results are shared with proposers and candidates (under embargo).

October 2024
Newly elected Fellows of 2024 inducted at the Annual Meeting.

Keep up to date with the latest news

By providing your email address, you consent to it being added to our mailing list.