Leading paediatrician, infectious diseases specialist and Executive Director of The Kids Research Institute Australia, Professor Jonathan Carapetis, has been recognised for his significant contribution towards medical research with the award of Member of the Order of Australia (AM).
Professor Carapetis received the honour today in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in recognition of his significant contribution to paediatrics and medicine, and specifically his commitment to diagnosis, treatment and prevention of rheumatic heart disease (RHD).
Whilst RHD is considered to be a disease of developing nations, Australia’s Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people are 55 times more likely to die of the disease than their non-Indigenous peers. Professor Carapetis is a passionate advocate for closing this gap.
The Kids Research Institute Australia Chairman, Mr John Langoulant AO, said Professor Carapetis is not only an excellent paediatrician and researcher, he is also an outstanding organisational leader.
“Jonathan has a very clear vision for how a medical research Institute should connect with community and ensure that research makes a real difference to the lives of children and families,” Mr Langoulant said.
“He has pushed very hard to ensure that research is responsive and relevant, but also of the highest quality.”
Now Patron of The Kids Research Institute Australia, Founding Director Professor Fiona Stanley AC, welcomed the award.
“Jonathan has devoted much of his professional life to improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children,” she said.
“He understands the importance of genuine research partnerships with Aboriginal communities, adopted new models of trialling health system interventions to improve care, and works collaboratively with Government, private sector and other researchers to achieve change.”
Professor Carapetis heads up the NHMRC funded End Rheumatic Heart Disease Centre of Research Excellence (END RHD CRE) based at The Kids, which brings together collaborators from 16 Institutions across Australia developing a fully costed and comprehensive 'Endgame Strategy' to end RHD in Australia by 2031.
He was also instrumental in founding END RHD - a national alliance of health, research and community organisations working to end RHD in Australia - and has been leading calls for community-led, research-backed solutions to tackle the disease in Australia at the state, federal and international level.
Professor Carapetis sits on several prestigious state and national Boards where he can help shape the future of Australian research – National Health and Medical Research Council and Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes. He was appointed Director of The Kids Research Institute Australia in 2012.
You can read more about the Queens Birthday Honours here – or read Jonathan’s full biography here.
