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

Executive Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Health
The University of Sydney
2014
NSW

Professor Robyn Ward was appointed as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health at The University of Sydney in 2017. Previously she has worked at the University of Queensland as Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research), and at The University of New South Wales as Clinical Associate Dean of the Prince of Wales Medical School and Head of the Adult Cancer Program at the Lowy Cancer Research Centre.

Professor Ward is a medical oncologist, cancer geneticist and laboratory scientist who throughout her career has shown a sustained capacity for innovative research into the range of issues that underlie the problem of human cancer. At UNSW she led an independent research group that has produced over 200 journal articles, letters and monographs, as well as several patents. In her role as Head of the Adult Cancer Program, and prior to that as a clinician researcher at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney, she has made several important contributions to translational cancer research in the area of bowel cancer, including studies of the precursor lesions of this common disease, the development of novel immunotherapies, and the recognition of the role of epimutations in cancer predisposition syndromes. These contributions have been recognised through a Commonwealth Health Minister’s Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research (2004) and the NSW Premier’s Award for Outstanding Cancer Researcher of the Year (2007).

Professor Ward is currently Director of the Translational Cancer Research Network, a multi-institutional group based in NSW and the Director of the Prince of Wales Cancer Centre. She chairs the Commonwealth Medical Services Advisory Committee and the Human Genetics Advisory Committee of NHMRC, and has served on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee since 2000.

Carl Wood Professor and Head, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Monash University
2015
VIC

Professor Wallace is one of Australia’s leading clinical academics in obstetrics and gynaecology with a sustained research record spanning 20 years. Through his leadership roles at Monash University, MIMR-PHI Medical Research Institute, and Monash Health he has sought to advance discovery and clinical research in perinatal medicine with a vision for better healthcare and better pregnancy outcomes. He has been a champion for research training of young clinicians and for improvements in clinical care through workforce education. He continues to advise government on healthcare provision and delivery for maternity services.

Director, Generation Victoria. Group Leader, Community Health Services Research
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
2015
VIC

Paediatrician Melissa Wake is recognised for her work in ‘population paediatrics’ – what universal and secondary care systems will make a difference to the health of our children, and the adults they will become? She creates and drives large-scale platforms to change the nature of paediatric research and rigorously tests new interventions to change the quality of children’s care. She is currently leading a national intergenerational biorepository to better understand the genesis of noncommunicable disease. Awards include the 2009 Australian Health Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Health & Medical Research and consecutive NHMRC Excellence Awards (2009-12, 2013-16) as top-ranked Australian Fellow.

Director and Professor of Chemical Biology
Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University
2015
QLD

Professor Mark von Itzstein is considered a world-leading scientist in anti-viral drug discovery and the elucidation of how viruses utilise host cell surface carbohydrates to initiate and propagate infection. He has made seminal contributions in influenza virus, rotavirus and parainfluenza virus chemical biology. His contributions led to the discovery of the world’s first ‘designer’ anti-influenza drug, Relenza. This drug is considered one of the key first-line-of-defence drugs in the treatment or prevention of influenza infection and has been stockpiled by most governments in preparation for a human influenza pandemic. His significant contributions are driving antiviral drug development.

Executive Director
Centenary Institute
2015
NSW

Professor Vadas has distinguished himself in the scientific, organisational and commercial spheres. His research work on the inflammatory response was recognised by his inaugural ISI Citation Laureateship with over 25,000 cites and H factor of 85. He originated and led the Hanson Centre for Cancer Research and now leads Centenary Institute; he originated several series of international scientific symposia and prizes to promote Australian science and was co founder of two ASX listed biotechnology companies. His pro bono activities include Chair of Australia-Harvard Fellowships Program and Life Member of the Australian Cancer Research Foundation and promotion of link between sciences and the arts being a member of the Board of Governors of the Institute of Creative Health.

Director, Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy; Head, Cancer Immunology Program
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
2015
VIC

Professor Joe Trapani, MBBS, FRACP, PhD, FFSc (RCPA) is currently Executive Director Cancer Research at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the inaugural Head of the Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology at the University of Melbourne. Joe has made many seminal and original contributions to the field of molecular and cellular immunology, with impact on many spheres of research and medicine including human histocompatibility, cytotoxic T lymphocyte and natural killer cell biology, cell death signaling pathways, cancer immune surveillance, viral immunology, and our understanding and diagnosis of primary human immune deficiency disorders. Joe Trapani heads Peter Mac’s Cancer Immunology Program, is a member of the Executive (Board) of the Cancer Council Victoria and has led three successive NHMRC Program Grants as CIA. He has published more than 260 peer-review papers and is the recipient of multiple prizes and awards for his research.

Executive Director
Melanoma Institute Australia
2015
NSW

Professor John Thompson is widely recognised as one of the world’s foremost authorities on melanoma and a leading surgical oncologist. He has published over 650 articles in peer-reviewed journals. He developed the isolated limb infusion regional chemotherapy technique and was one of the pioneers for sentinel lymph node biopsy in melanoma. He has been a member of the AJCC Melanoma Staging Taskforce for the last two international melanoma staging systems, and the Chairman of the Working Party which created the Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Cutaneous Melanoma in Australia and New Zealand.

Professor of Rheumatology
The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute
2015
QLD

Professor Ranjeny Thomas is an NHMRC Research Fellow recognized as an international leader in the field of antigen-specific tolerance in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). During the last 5 years, she reported the first clinical trial of antigen-specific dendritic cell therapy in RA, and attracted investment from the US-based Johnson and Johnson group of companies into Dendright, a start-up company commercialising immunotherapy for RA co-invented and patented by Thomas. If fully realized, this work will be transformative for human health in the next decade. Her research leadership is demonstrable in 2 successful program grant awards as CIA and 2 investigator-driven translational clinical trials.

AC FASSA FAHMS
Director, The Matilda Centre
The University of Sydney
2015
NSW

Professor Teesson is Director, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Use and NHMRC Principal Research Fellow, UNSW. Her vision is to build the world’s leading dedicated translational research program for the prevention and treatment of comorbid mental health and substance abuse. She leads a large vibrant research centre (over 70 staff) spanning 7 universities internationally. The innovation of her research has been recognised through leadership of 67 grants (13 NHMRC, 2 CRE) totalling over $21.6M and over 280 publications. She is the winner of the prestigious 2014 Australian Museum Eureka Award for Mentorship of Young Researchers.

Harold Mitchell Chair of Indigenous Eye Health
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne
2015
VIC

Melbourne Laureate Professor Hugh Taylor holds the Harold Mitchell Chair of Indigenous Eye Health at the University of Melbourne. Prior to that, he was Head of the University of Melbourne Department of Ophthalmology and founded the Centre for Eye Research Australia. Professor Taylor’s current work particularly focuses on Aboriginal eye health including the elimination of trachoma in Australia and the provision of eye care services. He has written more than 600 scientific papers and 30 books and reports. He has received multiple international awards and prizes and in 2001, was made a Companion in the Order of Australia.

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

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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