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

Professor & Head, Sexual Health Program, Kirby Institute
University of New South Wales
Fellow
2016
NSW

Professor Donovan is the pioneer of sexual health research in Australia, being appointed to the country’s first ever academic post in the discipline. He made key discoveries in HIV, such as the primary HIV illness and its characteristics, and was among the first to document the effects of concurrent HIV infection on hepatitis B virus infection.  Professor Donovan’s very high standing is evidenced by his Presidency of the International Society for Sexually Transmitted Disease Research – the pre‐eminent scientific body in the field – as well as his extensive international conference invitations. He would be a most influential addition to the Fellowship.

Interim Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences
University of Melbourne
Fellow
2016
VIC

Professor Jane Gunn is a distinguished academic general practitioner whose leadership has raised the profile and rigour of primary care research in Australia.  As the inaugural Chair of Primary Care Research at The University of Melbourne her work in mental health addresses a leading cause of disability burden.  She has established a unique cohort study to document the patient experience and outcomes of depression in primary care, and forged many successful international research collaborations.  Her research influences policy and practice via advisory roles to the WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme, the Australian Government’s Science Priorities and Mental Health Expert Reference Groups.

Director, Sansom Institute for Health Research
University of South Australia
Fellow
2016
SA

Ian Olver is a medical oncologist with a PhD in bioethics who received an AM for service to medical oncology as a clinician, researcher, administrator and mentor and to the community through leadership roles with cancer control organisations. Currently Director of the Sansom Institute for Health Research, and Professor of Translational Cancer Research, University of South Australia, he has published over 250 journal articles, 22 book chapters, and 7 books. He was president of the Medical Oncology Group of Australia, CEO of Cancer Council Australia, and is President elect of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer.

Director, St. Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research
St. Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research
Fellow
2016
VIC

Tom Kay is Director of St. Vincent’s Institute and President of the Immunology of Diabetes Society. He is Chief Investigator on an NHMRC Program Grant, “Pathogenesis-based Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes”. As an endocrinologist and clinical immunologist he leads the Victorian node of the Australian Islet Transplant Consortium. Contributions include the role of CD8+ T cells and cytokines in the death of pancreatic beta cells and characterization of T cells in type 1 diabetes. These are relevant to developing new treatments for diabetes that could replace the need for insulin injections by restoring endogenous insulin and by correction of autoimmunity.

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Health), Division of Enterprise
UNSW Sydney
Fellow
2016
NSW

Professor Rodney Phillips is Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of New South Wales. Best known for his ground-breaking research on retroviruses, as published in Nature, he was first to describe a critical means by which Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) evades human immune responses; specifically, escaping cytotoxic T cell recognition. Professor Phillips’ high standing is readily evidenced by his extensive senior appointments and Board roles at the University of Oxford prior to joining UNSW. He would be a valuable and influential addition to the Fellowship.

Professor of Population Mental Health, Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research and Director of the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research
University of Queensland / West Moreton Hospital and Health Service
Fellow
2016
QLD

Professor Whiteford has made major contributions to medical and health science through his leadership in mental health policy development and administration and through his academic research. His policy and administrative leadership in state and Commonwealth governments and with the World Bank is recognised as central to the redesign of Australian mental health services and instrumental in the global mental health movement. Through his epidemiological, policy and services research he continues to actively lead the acquisition and analysis of the evidence base for understanding the global burden of mental disorders and the improvement of mental health services in Australia and internationally.

Director, Centre for Blood Cell Therapies
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Fellow
2016
VIC

Professor Miles Prince is a clinician-researcher haematologist whose work has made a major impact in patient care and our understanding of the mechanism of action of a variety of novel agents now used routinely in cancer therapy. His contribution within the field of translational research has been in the areas of myeloma exploring a variety of new agents, cell-based therapy particularly with respect to immune therapies for blood cancer, he is an international leader in the management of cutaneous lymphoma, and has led numerous trials that have led to the regulatory approval of new epigenetic-targeted therapies. In addition, he has made major contribution to patient care through involvement in health and science education, patient support groups and philanthropic leadership.

Emeritus Professor
Garvan Institute of Medical Research
Fellow
2016
NSW

Professor Ken Ho has been an international opinion leader in pituitary medicine for over 20 years. He is an authority on pituitary disease and the GH system in metabolic health and disease. His work is strongly translational integrating laboratory and clinical studies to elucidate the metabolic mechanisms causing and developing treatments for obesity and protein wasting. He is Research Director and pre-eminent senior staff specialist at Princess Alexandra Hospital and holds conjoint professorial appointments at the University of Queensland and the Queensland University of Technology. He has an H index of 55 from publishing over 240 papers that have been cited over 11900 times.

Honorary Professor
Deakin University
Fellow
2016
VIC

Professor Ball leads a research program focused on improving population nutrition and physical activity behaviours and reducing socioeconomic inequities in health. Her research has informed state and national prevention agendas and community-based programs that have improved health behaviours and reduced chronic disease risk. By age 35 she had already served in key leadership positions for national and international bodies including as President of the leading professional society in her discipline, the International Society for Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity. She mentors many early career researchers nationally and internationally, and is particularly active in mentoring and advocating for women researchers.

Director, Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre
Monash University & The Alfred Hospital
Fellow
2016
VIC

Professor Jayashri Kulkarni is internationally recognised for her research into causes of mental illness in women. She founded, and directs, the Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, whose aim is to develop new treatments for mental illness. She has pioneered the use of estrogen to treat schizophrenia, hormones for depression and is a world leader in the translation of basic research in neuroscience to give life-changing treatments for psychiatric disorders. One of her strengths is her ability to explain complex concepts from psychiatry to the media, giving her a role as an outstanding public educator on mental health issues.

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.

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