2017 Alumni Awards

We had an overwhelming response to our 2017 Alumni Awards and are delighted to announce the outstanding recipients for each of our Alumni Awards.

The Awards recipients were recognised at our gala dinner on Friday 28 July 2017.

The Awards evening is hosted by the Office of Alumni and Philanthropy and the University’s Alumni Advisory Committee.

Award Recipients

Professor Dr Carla Treloar

Professor Dr Carla Treloar

Alumni Medal for Professional Excellence
PhD (Medicine) 1995; Bachelor of Science (Honours) 1991

Professor Dr Carla Treloar is the leading international social scientist in hepatitis C, an infection that affects many of the most disadvantaged in our society. Her work helps guide how clinical, policy and community programs can support or hinder access to care; and how someone who has injected drugs comes to understand and make decisions about hepatitis C.

Susie Porter

Susie Porter

Newton-John Award
Bachelor of Arts 1993

With over 20 years of service in the film, television and theatre industries, Susie Porter has a reputation as one of Australia’s most outstanding actors. Her diverse acting skills have won Susie successful lead and supporting roles in over 20 films, 39 television series and 11 theatre productions, both locally and abroad.

Dr Joanne McCarthy

Dr Joanne McCarthy

Exceptional Community Service Award
Honorary Degree - Doctor of Letters 2015, Bachelor of Arts 2003

Award-winning Newcastle Herald journalist Dr Joanne McCarthy’s work transcends traditional journalism to extraordinary depths of advocacy. Delivered under extreme pressure and public scrutiny, Joanne’s work is empathic, courageous and composed. In 2006, she started writing about child sexual abuse in Newcastle and Hunter Valley institutions, primarily the Catholic Church.

Professor Jenny May AM

Professor Jenny May AM

Regional Leadership Award
Bachelor of Medicine (Hons) 1985

As Director of the University of Newcastle, Department of Rural Health, Professor Jenny May AM combines a deep passion for clinical work and her drive to improve the health of rural Australians through advocacy and research. She has made a remarkable contribution to the health and wellbeing of regional communities, and plays a significant role in growing the next generation of health care professionals by training and mentoring countless young doctors and students.

Dr Bryson Bates

Dr Bryson Bates

International Leadership Award
Bachelor of Engineering 1978

Dr Bryson Bates is an internationally renowned leader of research into climate change and variability. He brings together an extensive knowledge of hydrology and statistics to explore the impact of climate change and variability on water resources and climatic and weather extremes.

Associate Professor Aunty Kerrie Doyle

Associate Professor Aunty Kerrie Doyle

Indigenous Alumni Award
Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) 1999; Graduate Diploma in Health Science 1993

As a practicing nurse, researcher, educator and mentor, Associate Professor Aunty Kerrie Doyle has devoted her life to the care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients. She currently coordinates clinical and research studies at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, and takes a lead role in curriculum development across all health disciplines.

Dr Andrew Bivard

Dr Andrew Bivard

Beryl Nashar Young Researcher Award
PhD (Medicine) 2013; Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours) 2009

An Early Career Research Fellow at the Hunter Medical Research Institute, Dr Andrew Bivard’s work centres on acute ischemic stroke imaging, and patient selection for reperfusion therapies. Extremely talented at translating his research into clinical practice, Andrew led his team to develop the imaging processing program MiStar with industry partner Apollo.

Dr Xanthe Spindler

Dr Xanthe Spindler

Young Alumni Award (joint recipient)
Bachelor of Science (Forensic) (Honours) 2006

Quickly establishing herself as a leading academic in forensic science, Dr Xanthe Spindler has a strong international profile in fingerprint sciences. She is Program Director for undergraduate Forensic Biology, Masters and Honours Forensic Science students at the University of Technology Sydney. Xanthe’s research in the efficacy of fingermark enhancement techniques is having a huge impact operationally, with more identifiable fingermarks being detected than ever before.

Dr Malcolm Starkey

Dr Malcolm Starkey

Young Alumni Award (joint recipient)
PhD (Immunology and Microbiology) 2014; Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours) 2008

Immunologist and microbiologist, Dr Malcolm Starkey is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and Australian Research Council (ARC) Early Career Postdoctoral Fellow. His work is substantially contributing to understanding early-life impairment of a healthy immune system and how this predisposes to chronic diseases such as asthma, emphysema and kidney disease.