Professor Caroline Homer AO, winner of the inaugural Alastair Lucas Prize for Medical Research

Burnet Institute Co-Program Director, Maternal and Child Health, Professor Caroline Homer AO, is the inaugural winner of the prestigious Alastair Lucas Prize for Medical Research.

Professor Homer was presented with the award at the Institute’s first Chair and Patrons' Dinner, attended by distinguished guests including Burnet’s Patron-in-Chief, Her Excellency, The Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria, and Mr Anthony Howard QC.

Professor Homer paid tribute to Alastair Lucas for his ‘stellar leadership’ and said she was delighted and overwhelmed by the prize, which includes a competitive award of AUD$100,000 per annum for two years.

“I will use the funds from this prize to work with our Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies project in East New Britain to try to improve the quality of care that women receive in pregnancy,” Professor Homer said.

Image: Professor Brendan Crabb, Professor Caroline Homer, Ms Chloe Shorten, The Hon Bill Shorten MP

“Pregnancy is such an important time and there are so many implications from that period … that make a difference to what we are likely to achieve in life and what long term health conditions we might experience.”

The Alastair Lucas Prize for Medical Research was established as a tribute to the late Alastair Lucas AO, former long-time Chair of Burnet Institute who died after a short illness in July 2015 at the age of 63.

The prize is aimed at supporting high-calibre researchers who are wishing to establish, or in the process of establishing a career at Burnet, to undertake a program of work that aligns with the mission and focus of the Institute.

Image: Her Excellency, The Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria

Applications were sought for laboratory-based or public/international health research activities in areas including maternal and child health, disease elimination (primarily HIV, viral hepatitis, malaria and tuberculosis), behaviours and health risks, healthy ageing or health security.

A leading midwifery researcher in Australia with an international reputation as a scholar and leader in maternal and newborn health care and service delivery, Professor Homer joined Burnet in August 2018 from the University of Technology Sydney.

She has more than 25 years experience in the sector as a clinician, educator, research and leader.

Special guests at the Chair and Patrons’ Dinner included former Burnet Patron, Ms Chloe Bryce Shorten, the Leader of the Federal Opposition The Hon Bill Shorten MP, and Burnet Patrons Dame Carol Kidu DBE, Mrs Maria Myers AC, and Lady Primrose Potter AC.