Oxford Martin Senior Fellows Robyn Norton and Stephen MacMahon have been named Officers in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours List, for their work as the founders and principal directors of The George Institute for Global Health.
Professor Norton said: “This is a very special recognition not only for Stephen and me, but also for all the staff of The George Institute worldwide. The Institute’s success and impact directly reflects the commitment and contribution of a very large number of people who have worked for The George since its establishment in 1999.”
Professor MacMahon added: “These awards are an acknowledgement of the importance of the Institute’s efforts to develop radically different solutions for the major healthcare challenges facing Australia and most other countries. They are also an acknowledgement of the importance of focusing on the vulnerable and disadvantaged, since they suffer the greatest burden of disease, disability and premature death.”
Professor MacMahon was honoured for ‘Distinguished service to medical research at a national and international level, through advancements in the treatment of hypertension, stroke and diabetes, and to improving health outcomes for disadvantaged populations.’ Professor Norton received her award for ‘Distinguished service to medical research through improving health outcomes for disadvantaged populations, to reducing the burden of road and traffic injury, and to professional organisations.’
Both paid tribute to the Australian Government’s support for medical research as central to the Institute's success and impact.
“The National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia has funded much of our most important work in areas ranging from the treatment of diabetes in the community to the treatment of critically ill patients in intensive care,” said Professor Norton.
The George Institute for Global Health, which received funding from the Oxford Martin School from 2010 - 2017, was founded with a specific mission to develop and evaluate affordable scalable solutions to the rapidly growing epidemics of serious chronic diseases and major injuries. The Institute‘s work has directly resulted in many changes in guidelines for the care of patients with conditions that affect more than a billion people worldwide.
Since the Institute’s establishment in Sydney 18 years ago, it has grown from an organisation with just five staff to an employer of more than 600 staff across research centres in Australia, China, India and the UK.