Image: Burnet Institute Co-Program Director, Maternal and Child Health, Professor Caroline Homer AO
Burnet Institute Co-Program Director, Maternal and Child Health, Professor Caroline Homer AO has been appointed a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS) in recognition of her leadership and excellence in midwifery research, maternal and newborn health care, and service delivery.
Since obtaining her PhD in 2001, Professor Homer has led research and development projects in Australia and internationally in reproductive, maternal and newborn care, human resources for health workforce development, and midwifery education.
She is a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Maternal and Perinatal Health Executive Guideline Development Group, and Co-Chair of the Australian Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing National Expert Advisory Executive for the Development of National Pregnancy Guidelines.
Among many other roles, Professor Homer is the Assistant Secretary General (Midwifery) for the Global Network of WHO Collaborating Centres for Nursing and Midwifery, and the President of the Australian College of Midwives.
"As a midwife and maternal health researcher it is an incredible honour to be recognised by my peers in the health and medical sectors and I thank the Academy for this," Professor Homer said.
"This is really important recognition of the importance of maternal health care research especially the unique role of midwives in improving outcomes.
"I thank and pay tribute to all the wonderful colleagues and teams I have worked with over the last 20 years - this is a shared and collective achievement."
Professor Homer joined Burnet in August 2018, and is the inaugural winner of the Alistair Lucas Prize for Medical Research.
Professor Homer joins Burnet colleagues, Director and CEO, Professor Brendan Crabb AC, Deputy Director Professor Margaret Hellard AM, Professor Suzanne Crowe AO, and Professor James Beeson as a Fellow of the AAHMS.
Professor Homer is one of 40 new AAHMS Fellows, all of whom were required to have demonstrated distinguished professional achievement in a field related to health and/or medicine.
Fellows of the Academy must also have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the science of health and medicine, and significant and continuing involvement with issues of health care, prevention of disease, education, research, and health services policy and delivery.
