Meet Professor Jane Gunn, the new Dean of MDHS

From medical student to Dean, Jane believes our University experiences extend way beyond the years spent on campus.

Professor Jane Gunn (MBBS 1987, PhD 1998) made history earlier this year as she took on the role of Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences (MDHS) for 2021, the first woman to hold that title in the Faculty’s 160-year history.

Jane was previously the MDHS Deputy Dean, following a decade as Head of the Department of General Practice and a further two years as Deputy Head of the Melbourne Medical School. She completed a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (1987) at the University, returning later for her PhD (1998).

“I’m a proud University of Melbourne graduate and I have fond recollections of my undergraduate days, they were formative years where I discovered a passion for General Practice that has continued to this day. I feel honoured to be Dean of a Faculty that exists to improve the health and wellbeing of our global community. I’d like to thank outgoing Dean Professor Shitij Kapur for his exemplary leadership over the last four years,” said Jane.

A distinguished academic general practitioner and inaugural Chair of Primary Care Research at the University, Jane’s trailblazing research has raised the profile and rigour of primary care research in Australia. Her Diamond Cohort Study established one of the largest and longest running studies of people experiencing depressive symptoms in primary care and enabled better management of those at risk of persistent and disabling depression. This flagship research project has been funded continuously via NHMRC Project Grants and was featured in their 2021 10 of the Best showcase. In 2020, she was made Chief Public Health Advisor at the University, as part of the COVID Pandemic Response Group and has helped steer the course of the health response across all campuses.

Jane believes being an alum of MDHS means you are part of a global community of clinicians, researchers and medical professionals who are working on the latest innovations in medicine and health sciences.

“I truly believe our University experiences extend way beyond the years spent on campus. I’m fortunate to engage our alum regularly and they are such an important part of our community. I hope we’ll be able to welcome many alum back to campus this year after last year’s reunions, lectures and careers events were all moved online.”

You can read more about Jane’s work here.