(Pictured top row (L-R): Dr. Joseph Doyle (2019 Fellow), Professor Simon Crowe, Ms. Mary Lawson, Mr. Peter King (MCEC CEO), Dr. Attilio Pigneri, Ms. Lorraine Chiroiu, Associate Professor Anna Boltong, Associate Professor Zaffar Sadiq. Bottom row (L-R): Professor Luk Rombauts, Ms. Katie Tinetti (senior manager Club Melbourne), The Hon. John Brumby AO (MCET chairman), HE the Hon. Linda Dessau AC Governor of Victoria, Mr. Anthony Howard AM QC, Ms. Bronwyn Levvey)
The prestigious Club Melbourne Ambassador Program celebrated its 14th anniversary and another outstanding year at its annual dinner on August 26. The evening saw the induction of ten new ambassadors and the awarding of its annual Fellowship by the Program’s Patron in Chief, Her Excellency the Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria.
Since the program’s inception in 2005, Club Melbourne has secured 148 international conferences that have delivered an economic impact worth more than $930 million, with support and collaboration from the Victorian State Government and the Melbourne Convention Bureau.
The Club Melbourne Ambassador Program includes 125 eminent Victorians from diverse disciples of medicine, science and environment, technology, engineering, business and education, with only a select few invited to join the program each year. The ten new Ambassadors officially inducted into the Program on the evening are all highly regarded and influential Melbournians within their respective fields.
The 2019 Club Melbourne Fellowship was awarded to Dr. Joseph Doyle from the Burnet Institute, who received the $10,000 grant to support his attendance at an international conference of his choosing to enable new, life-changing opportunities for his research project. Club Melbourne invests in the Fellowship with the hope that the Program’s Fellows will evolve to become ambassadors themselves in the future.
Dr. Doyle is a specialist in infectious diseases and public health medicine. He leads a clinical and implementation research program across the Burnet Institute, The Alfred and Monash University with the aim to improve the access and delivery of hepatitis C treatment. He is a leader of the Eliminate C Australia Partnership, which aims to build capacity and support for HCV elimination across all jurisdictions nationally. He has been an advisor and consultant to the World Health Organization on HIV and Viral Hepatitis, and has received research support as a chief investigator from National Health & Medical Research Council, WHO, philanthropic organizations and industry.
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre’s CEO Peter King says the evening was “an important opportunity to celebrate and thank our Ambassadors for their ongoing efforts,” adding “Club Melbourne is committed to investing in, and nurturing new talent—and tonight we congratulate our fourth Club Melbourne Fellow, Dr. Joseph Doyle along with our ten new Ambassadors. The passion our Club Melbourne Ambassadors have to undertake life-changing work and share new research is the key to maintaining Melbourne’s international reputation as a knowledge hub and leading global city.”
The 10 Club Melbourne Ambassadors inducted into the Program in 2019 are:
- Associate Professor Anna Boltong – Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre
- Ms. Lorraine Chiroiu – AusBiotech
- Professor Simon Crowe – La Trobe University
- Professor Frank Dunshea – The University of Melbourne
- Dr. Mary Lawson – Deakin University
- Associate Professor Bronwyn Levvey- Alfred Health
- Associate Professor Zaffar Sadiq Mohamed-Ghouse – Spatial Vision
- Dr. Attilio Pigneri – Australian Association for Hydrogen Energy
- Professor Luk Rombauts – The Fertility Society of Australia
- Professor Emeritus Frances Separovic AO – The University of Melbourne
For the full list of Club Melbourne Ambassadors visit: https://clubmelbourne.com.au/ambassadors
The six 2019 Club Melbourne Fellowship Finalists were:
- Dr. Joseph Doyle – Burnet Institute
- Dr. Quan Huynh – Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
- Dr. Rachel McQuade – Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
- Dr. Reza Nosrati – Monash University
- Dr. Elena Schneider – University of Melbourne
- Dr. Jun Yang – Hudson Institute of Medical Research
For more info on the Club Melbourne Fellowship finalists, visit: clubmelbourne.com.au/fellowship/fellowship-finalists
Club Melbourne is owned and led by Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre with support and collaboration from Melbourne Convention Bureau and the Victorian State Government. For more info, visit www.mcec.com.au
