Professor Peter Cistulli is recognised nationally and internationally as a clinical and research leader in the field of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine. He has made major contributions to the understanding of the causes and treatment of common sleep disorders, such as Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA). His pioneering work on novel therapies, and particularly oral appliances for the treatment of OSA, has changed clinical practice in the field and has contributed to the development of a new interdisciplinary field of Dental Sleep Medicine, bridging medicine and dentistry.

Through distinguished contribution to clinical practice, research and teaching, Professor Cistulli has advanced his field.

Professor Guy Marks is a world-leading respiratory physician and epidemiologist, whose outstanding contributions to the fields of asthma, chronic lung disease, tuberculosis (TB) and air pollution have transformed the national and global responses to these health problems. His sustained research through the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research has been recognised by major awards from the NHMRC, the Thoracic Society, the Ingham Institute and UNSW Sydney.

Professor Marks has made important contributions to training and policy development in lung health and TB control in Australia and internationally. His sustained leadership within the International Union Against TB and Lung Diseases led to his appointment as President in 2019.

Professor Jennifer Martin is dual-trained clinical pharmacologist and physician based in Newcastle. Through combining her clinical practice with a strong program of research, she has driven clinical impact through knowledge translation and informing effective government policy and regulation with evidence-based research. Her research spans the full translational pathway, from discovery and animal development work, to Phase I-IV clinical trials, and implementation of research into the therapeutic setting.

Professor Martin is considered a leader in her field and is an expert advisor to the health and pharmaceutical sector, industry and various governments, particularly in the area of drug development and pharmaceutical regulation.

Professor Steve Vucic is a clinical academic and internationally recognised researcher in the field of neuroscience with an emphasis on understanding amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) pathogenesis. His key discoveries relating to identification of “cortical hyperexcitability” as an important pathophysiological mechanism in ALS have transformed the understanding of ALS, resulted in novel therapeutic approaches and led to development of pharmacodynamic biomarkers. In addition, a much-needed diagnostic investigation was developed for ALS, termed threshold tracking transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), enabling earlier diagnosis and thereby recruitment into clinical trials.

Professor Vucic has published and presented extensively and has received national and international accolades for his research.

Professor Kirsten McCaffery is a highly productive academic with exceptional research output and impact for a behavioural scientist working in public health, with over 230 publications and impact on national and international policy and practice.

Professor McCaffery has shown leadership in the establishment of the Sydney Health Literacy Lab, in Wiser Healthcare, and as Director of Research at the University of Sydney School of Public Health. Her work has had a sustained impact on policy and practice in the areas of cancer screening, health literacy and overdiagnosis and attracted significant media attention to promote understanding of medical science in the community.

Professor Susan Clark is a worldwide pioneer in the field of cancer epigenetics. Her research revolutionised the field through her pivotal contribution to advancements in new technologies for profiling DNA methylation changes in early development and cancer. Her current research involves understanding the 3D epigenetic landscape of large‐scale domains in cancer, and developing new genome‐wide sequencing and bioinformatic protocols to map DNA methylation, histone modifications and regulatory RNA profiles.

Professor Clark’s team has recently demonstrated that epigenetic changes in cancer encompass large genome‐wide domains, resulting in global and coordinated gene silencing and activation, which provide new insights for disease diagnosis and treatments.