Laureate Professor Rob Sanson-Fisher has been inducted as a Fellow into the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.

Laureate Professor Rob Sanson-Fisher AO from the University of Newcastle is among 50 new Fellows to be inducted into the prestigious Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS).

As an HMRI health-behaviour researcher, he joins a select group of health and medical science leaders to help promote the use of the best research-informed health care for Australians.

Laureate Professor Sanson-Fisher has more than 35 years’ experience leading ground-breaking research projects that successfully combine behavioural and public health approaches to health promotion, health service evaluation and cancer control.

His current research interests are in changing health care providers’ clinical behaviour to more closely approximate best-evidence practice. He is also focused on the development, implementation and evaluation of attempting to improve health outcomes for vulnerable groups.

AAHMS President Professor Ian Frazer said: “I am delighted on behalf of the Academy council to welcome the new Fellows to the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. Their election as Fellows of the Academy will help to ensure that the Academy can promote use of the best in research-informed health care for all Australians.”

The UON now has seven academics in the Academy, with Laureate Professor Sanson-Fisher joining Laureate Professor Nick Talley, UON Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Caroline McMillen, Laureate Professor John Aitken, Professor Julie Byles, Laureate Professor Paul Foster and Conjoint Professor Chris Levi.

To be considered for election to Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, a person must have “demonstrated distinguished professional achievement in a field related to health and/or medicine”.

Fellows of the Academy have the skills and resources required to contribute to the Academy’s tasks of assessing current knowledge, conducting studies and considering policy issues.