Peter Mac leaders join health and medical science elite

Election to the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences [the Academy] recognises their very significant lifetime contributions to health and medical research, nationally and internationally – and their important role as independent scientific experts helping to inform both the Australian public and policy-makers. There are 272 Academy Fellows Australian-wide.

The Academy plays an important role in providing advice to government, in mentoring the next generation of researchers and in advocacy for health and medical research in Australia. It also works to promote health and medical research and its translation to enable a healthier community in Australia and around the world.

The induction of Professors Fox, Prince and Bowtell brings Peter Mac’s number of Academy Fellows to eight; joining Professors Rod Hicks, Ricky Johnstone, Grant McArthur, John Seymour and Executive Director of Cancer Research, Professor Joe Trapani.

“Professors Fox, Prince and Bowtell as our latest Academy inductees are to be congratulated for the decades of dedication to their respective fields, research excellence and public advocacy, that this honour represents,” Prof Trapani says.

“Peter Mac takes great pride in being part of the Academy and supporting its broader mission to promote efficient, evidenced-based clinical practise and the translation of research into new and better treatments – causes which are close to our heart here at Peter Mac.”

Professors Fox, Prince and Bowtell are all internationally recognised laboratory and clinical researchers who lead research programs and clinical trials at Peter Mac which are helping to guide clinical practice and the next generation of cancer treatment. Read their bios below for further information.

Contacts:

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact the Peter Mac Communications team on 0417 123 048.

About our 2016 inductees:

Professor David Bowtell
David Bowtell holds dual appointments at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Garvan Institute, and was Director of Research at Peter Mac (2000-2009).  Professor Bowtell has made major contributions to human cancer genomics, particularly in ovarian cancer pathogenesis and treatment response. David leads the Australian Ovarian Cancer Study, one of the most impactful population-based cohort studies of ovarian cancer in the world, and is CIA for a newly initiated NHMRC Program grant. His lab has made practice-changing contributions by redefining the cellular origins of the various ovarian cancer variants, deciphering the impact of BRCA mutations on treatment response, and elucidating the mechanisms of primary and acquired chemotherapy resistance. 

Professor Miles Prince
Miles Prince is a specialist haematologist who manages all types of blood-related conditions which include anaemia, bleeding and blood clotting disorders, as well as cancers of the blood. He is a full professor at both The University of Melbourne and Monash University. Professor Prince is involved in major research programs involving stem cell research and the mechanism of the immune systems control of blood and cancer growth. He is also involved in many clinical trials related to this research. He holds major Australian, American and European research grants and has published over 360 journal articles.

Professor Stephen Fox
Stephen Fox is an internationally recognised anatomical and molecular pathologist. He is known for his research in the field of tumour blood vessel formation where he elucidated the mechanism by which a tumour establishes a blood supply that is critical to its growth and spread. He has shown the importance of these in breast tumours and its effect on patient response to treatment.  He has developed and implemented novel molecular cancer testing from research to diagnostic laboratories and written several Australian guidelines that have changed the way laboratories test for genetic changes in cancer.

About Peter Mac

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (www.petermac.org) is one of the world’s leading cancer research, education and treatment centres globally and is Australia’s only public hospital solely dedicated to caring for people affected by cancer. We have over 2,500 staff, including more than 580 laboratory and clinical researchers, all focused on providing better treatments, better care and potential cures for cancer.

About the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences

The Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (www.aahms.org) is a learned academy comprised of 272 Fellows who have each demonstrated significant and sustained contribution to the science of health in Australia. Inductees span all aspects of health and medical science with representation from basic translational and clinical research, health economics, general practise and public health. The Academy aims to promote health and medical research and its translation to enable a healthier community in Australia and the World.