Watch the 2021 Priscilla Kincaid-Smith Oration on Health
The Priscilla Kincaid-Smith Oration on Health honours the life and work of Professor Priscilla Kincaid-Smith AC CBE: a pioneering leader in research and clinical care, a fearless patient and public health advocate, and mentor to many. Professor Kincaid-Smith was an internationally renowned specialist in kidney disease, whose work advanced the University and Faculty’s position within the international medical community.
The 2021 Priscilla Kincaid-Smith Oration on Health was delivered on Thursday 4 March by Professor Sharon Lewin, entitled Science and Advocacy: lessons from past pandemics for the COVID-19 era.
About the Orator – Professor Sharon Lewin AO, FRACP, PhD, FAHMS
Professor Lewin is the inaugural director of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, a joint venture between the University of Melbourne and Royal Melbourne Hospital and a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Practitioner Fellow.
She is an infectious diseases physician and basic scientist who is internationally renowned for her research into all aspects of HIV disease and pathogenesis. Professor completed her medical degree and PhD in virology at Monash University in 1996 and her post-doctoral fellowship with Dr David Ho at Rockefeller University in 1999.
Her research focuses on understanding why HIV persists on treatment and developing clinical trials aimed at ultimately finding a cure for HIV infection.
She has published over 300 publications and in 2019 was named a Clarivate Web of Science high citation researcher.
Professor Lewin leads a large national network funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia called APPRISE which focuses on pandemic preparedness which started in Australia in 2016.
In 2020 her leadership of the Doherty Institute went from strength to strength. Scientists from the Doherty Institute were the first to isolate and share the SARS COV2 virus outside of China and a broad program of research focused on testing, treatments and vaccines for COVID19 continues.
In 2020 Professor Lewin also became a household name in Australia, her handle on the science of the new virus, her calm optimism and clear communication style has elevated her as a trusted voice in the public sphere COVID-19.