Terry Dwyer

Professor Terry Dwyer "is Director of the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, an organisation with over 1100 staff and 120 postgraduate students. It is based at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne and covers the spectrum of laboratory, clinical and population health research.

"Professor Dwyer was previously Director of the Menzies Research Institute, University of Tasmania, coordinating research projects including those on cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, childhood asthma, and diabetes.

"He has had a major involvement in SIDS research and in addition has maintained an interest in research on the effect of lifestyle on health and, in particular, on the role of physical activity in relation to coronary heart disease. His current work focuses on the joint effects of genes and environment in diseases as diverse as cancer, cardiovascular disease and multiple sclerosis.

"Professionally he was a member of the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Research Advisory Committee and also the national chair of the Gulf War Veterans Study Scientific Advisory Committee. Professor Dwyer is also involved on international committees such as the Chair of the World Health Organization’s Western Pacific Region Advisory Committee on Health Research, I4C (International Childhood Cancer Cohort Consortium), UK Biobank and the World Health Organization’s Global Advisory Committee of Health Research.

"In addition, his community roles have included Chairman of the Premier of Tasmania’s Physical Activity Council and President of the Royal Automobile Club of Tasmania. He is also a Rotary Club Paul Harris Fellow.

"In 1994 Professor Dwyer was a fellow of Green College Oxford. In 2000 he received a Global Health Leadership Fellowship from the World Health Organization, and in 2003 was the Australian Society for Medical Research medallist. He spent six months in 2004 at the National Institutes of Health in the USA advising on the design of the National Children’s Study, which involved follow up of a cohort of 100,000 babies.

"Professor Dwyer was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1998 and awarded a Centenary Medal in 2005."


 * Reseach and Development Advisory Committee (Chair), George Institute