Scientia Professor Rebecca Ivers awarded Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to community health

Prof. Ivers, who is the UNSW School of Population Health Head of School,  has been recognised in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours as a Member (AM) in the General Division.

Prof. Ivers was awarded for her significant service to community health through injury prevention research and education. She is a global leader in the field of injury research, and as the Head of School and the Chair and Director of the Council of Academic Public Health Institutions Australasia (CAPHIA), she has played a major role in shaping health across communities.

“I am honoured to be recognised in this way. Throughout my career I have worked with many partners to reduce the burden of injury in our communities, make health care more equitable, and importantly, to build the capacity of public health academics and practitioners.” Prof. Ivers said.

Professor Ivers’ research has focused on reducing inequities in injury in Australia and globally. This includes impactful work on road injury, drowning, burns and falls, in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and in resource poor settings. She has worked closely with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and recently co-authored a major technical package on fall prevention for the WHO, Step Safely.

“Co-creation is fundamental to my research – partnership is the cornerstone making our communities safer. I have been privileged to work with a range of community and policy partners to understand their priorities and co-design and implement solutions to reduce injury and ensure culturally safe care.” Prof. Ivers said.

Prof. Ivers achievements have been recognised in industry and academia. Prof. Ivers has been awarded the NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Fellowship Public Health Award, the NSW Public Health Association Public Health Impact Award, the Australian Injury Prevention Network (AIPN), and the Australian Financial Review/Westpac 100 women of influence (Category Winner, Innovation) among others.

Prof. Ivers is an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the George Institute for Global Health. She chairs the National Injury Surveillance Unit (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) Advisory Committee, co-chairs the Virtual Care Monitoring and Evaluation Committee, NSW Ministry of Health and chairs the International Advisory Committee, Nepal Injury Research Centre. She represents UNSW at the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration.