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.

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

CEO, Translational Research Institute (QLD)
Translational Research Institute
2024
QLD

Professor Scott Bell is an internationally recognised respiratory physician and research leader. His key contribution is enhancing understanding of the mechanisms of infection acquisition and transmission in people with cystic fibrosis. He has >300 peer-reviewed publications including multiple clinical trials. His research has impacted on clinical care by influencing policy and practice internationally, particularly in the field of respiratory infection spread. He has an outstanding record of mentoring early-career researchers and clinician-researchers across the multidisciplinary care team. He has provided leadership by establishing research strategy for the largest health service nationally, and as CEO of the Translational Research Institute. 

Senior Principal Research Fellow
Neuroscience Research Australia
2024
NSW

Professor Kim Delbaere has made major contributions to identifying risk factors for falls and sub-optimal ageing. With a background in physiotherapy, she has dedicated her research career to falls prevention, exercise interventions and the use of innovative health technology. Her overarching vision is for older Australians to understand and navigate better health trajectories through self-management. In addition to her research, she also uses advocacy and commercialisation strategies to extend the reach of her work to a broader audience. 

Director, Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health
The University of Western Australia
2024
WA

Professor Dawn Bessarab has shown exceptional Indigenous leadership, knowledge, expertise and contribution through research in Indigenous health and social work. Through development and application of clinical yarning in healthcare, clinicians and health practitioners are better equipped to engage more effectively with Aboriginal patients towards better health outcomes. Professor Bessarab’s leadership in the discipline of social work, including co-editing and publishing the first book on Indigenous social work in Australia, contributed to embedding Indigenous knowledges in schools of social work nationally. This change has influenced social work practice and how more culturally informed social workers engage with Aboriginal children, families and communities. 

 

Petre Chair of Prostate Cancer Research
The University of Sydney
2024
NSW

Professor Vanessa Hayes is a genomicist and pioneer in mapping human genetic diversity and tumour genome complexities. She attracted global attention when she reported the first public sourced, African and indigenous genomes. Engaging with underserved populations, she has expanded the repertoire of known genetic variation, while championing the inclusion of non-Caucasians in the genome revolution. She pioneered new approaches to discovering the ancient origins of modern disease, generated the first disease-related whole genome data for Africa, while leading the charge to reduce global prostate cancer health disparities. Through tumour genomic interrogation she has identified an unknown environmental contribution to aggressive disease. 

Professor of Exercise Medicine
Edith Cowan University
2024
WA

Professor Robert Newton, an exercise oncology expert, has published 542 journal articles with over 30,800 citations for a 96 h-Index. His work focuses on exercise medicine as neoadjuvant, adjuvant and rehabilitative cancer therapy to reduce side-effects and enhance effectiveness of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In 2018 he received the career achievement award from the Cancer Council WA. In 2019, Professor Newton was named the Western Australian Premier’s Scientist of the Year. In 2021, The University of Queensland awarded Professor Newton a Higher Doctorate (DSc) for his research into exercise oncology. Professor Newton was a finalist in the Research Australia Health and Medical Research Awards for 2021 and received a Highly Commended Frontiers Award. His grants awarded total more than $50million. 

Director, Institute for Health Transformation
Deakin University
2024
VIC

Deakin Distinguished Professor Anna Peeters is recognised as a world leader in public health research focused on population nutrition and obesity prevention. Her work has been dedicated to building evidence for more effective and equitable prevention and healthcare through a focus on capacity building, partnerships, and impact. Professor Peeters has published 280+ publications (10,000+ citations) and been a Chief Investigator on grants totalling >$40M. The quality and innovation of her research is recognised through a King’s Birthday honour in 2023 (AM), a prestigious Skou Professorship by Aarhus University (2023), the 2014 World Obesity Federation’s Andre Mayer Young Investigator Award, and a 2014 Churchill Award. 

Director and CEO
Hudson Institute of Medical Research
2024
VIC

Professor Elizabeth Hartland is an international research leader in the field of microbiology and immunology. Her research informs fundamental knowledge of host-pathogen interactions and the development of anti-infective and immune-enhancing therapies that target the infection process. Her body of work has provided significant understanding of the pathogen-immune interface by defining the molecular mechanisms by which bacterial pathogens subvert the host immune response. Professor Hartland is the author of more than 160 research publications, an accomplished research supervisor and is recognised through the award of multiple grants, fellowships, and honours. 

Professor of Physiotherapy
The University of Melbourne
2024
VIC

Professor Linda Denehy is a physiotherapist and clinician researcher who has pioneered rehabilitation in the fields of critical care and cancer. Her research has led to improved patient outcomes before and following serious illness and pioneered a new career pathway for physiotherapists worldwide. She is the leading Australian researcher in preoperative exercise and her highly productive research career puts her in the top 0.1% of rehabilitation experts world-wide. Professor Denehy has made sustained contributions to health and medical sciences through high impact publications, conference organisation, educating consumers, committee memberships, mentorship of over 40 graduate researchers, academics and clinicians worldwide. 

Professor of Paediatric Infectious Diseases/ Head, Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines & Infectious Diseases
The University of Western Australia/ Kids Research Institute Australia
2024
WA

Professor Christopher Blyth has made substantial contributions to health, informing international immunisation, infection prevention and management policy and practice. Professor Blyth’s research and advocacy has driven changes to immunisation programs in Australia and internationally. As a member of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI 2012-2021; co-chair from 2018-2021), he led Australia’s technical experts informing the national COVID-19 vaccination program. Through leadership and mentoring, he has significantly developed infectious disease and public health research capacity in Australia and the region. Professor Blyth’s capacity to communicate and promote health and science to the broader community have been both recognised and awarded. 

Director of Translational Medicine
Moderna
2024
VIC

Adjunct Professor Craig Rayner has excelled across research and development sectors as a prominent medicine developer against global health threats. He has led international efforts against COVID-19, and been an advisor to industry, governments, the WHO and NGOs. As an experienced executive, he has built companies to multibillion dollar value and is committed to improving Australian R&D.

 

About Fellowship with AAHMS

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.

To ensure the Academy has a representative and diverse membership, Fellows nominating two new candidates are asked to include only a maximum of one man, and Fellows nominating four new candidates are asked to include only a maximum of two men.

How to make a nomination

Fellows wishing to nominate a candidate for Fellowship should contact the secretariat by 24 November each year to confirm candidate eligibility and receive and instructions on how to submit the completed nomination documentation online. Nomination requests received past this deadline will not be considered in the current election round.

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

18 September – 24 November

Existing Fellows are invited to submit a request to start a new nomination until 24 November 2024.

30 November
Deadline for submitting the full nomination and supporting material.

December
Nominations allocated to Selection Committees.

January – April
Referees’ reports sought.

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

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

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

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

October
Newly elected Fellows are inducted at the Annual Meeting.

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