Professor Robert Burton

MBBS, BMedSci, PhD, MD, BA, FRACS, FRACP, FAFPHM

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Robert Burton was an undergraduate at Melbourne and Newcastle Universities, Australia. His postgraduate medical, surgical and scientific training was at the Royal Melbourne and Royal Children's Hospitals, the University of Melbourne and the Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (Australia), Greenlane Hospital (New Zealand), Harvard University/Massachusetts General Hospital (USA), specializing in cardiovascular/transplant surgery and cancer immunology.

From 1977-1980 he was a Research Fellow in Surgery and in 1981 Assistant Professor of Surgery at Harvard University. For his research on cancer, in 1980 he was awarded the inaugural John Mitchell Crouch Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, and in 1981 the Colleges’ Alan Newton Prize.

Major Career Appointments:  November 1981-October 1995: Foundation Professor of Surgical Science (Discipline Head) University of Newcastle and Chairman of Surgery at the John Hunter University teaching Hospital 1989-1992, specializing in transplantation/vascular surgery and medical oncology.  December 1995- August 2002, Director (CEO) the Cancer Council Victoria. Currently (2006- ), a Professor-Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine Monash University.

Other career appointments: Visiting scientist at Oxford University (John Radcliffe Hospital, 1986-1987), International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France (1992 – 1993) and Walter & Eliza Hall Institute (2002), Professorial Associate in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine (1996-2003) and Surgery (2003-) University of Melbourne, Honorary Professor of Surgery in the Department of Surgery Monash University (1996-), Strategic Leader for Capacity Building and Council member (2002-2006) of the International Union Against Cancer (UICC), Senior Adviser to the National Cancer Control Initiative (1996-2006), World Health Organization (WHO ) 2003-2006 Eight Short Term Consultancies (Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Vietnam) on Cancer and Chronic Disease Control, Senior Technical Officer WHO China Office (2005), Consultant on Chronic Diseases WHO-Kobe Centre (2005-2006), International Atomic Energy Agency Vietnam imPACT member 2006.

Professor  main research interests, in which he has published over 195 scientific papers, book chapters and books, are the cellular immunology of cancer and transplantation, and the epidemiology and behavioural science of the control of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCD), with particular interests in cancer control planning, prevention and screening.

His Australian Professional appointments include: Evaluation Committee Victorian Trauma Foundation (member 2005-), National Cancer Strategies Group (member, 1998-2007, Chair 2002-2007) National Breast Cancer Centre (board member 1998-2004), The Cancer Council Australia (TCCA-board member 1996-2002), National Cancer Control Initiative Management Committee (board member 1996-, Foundation Chair 1996-1999), Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (1996-2002), National Cancer Advisory Committee of TCCA (member 1991-92, Chair 1996-1999-renamed Medical & Scientific Committee), National Health and Medical Research Council regional grant interviewing committees (member 1986-88, 1994, 1996, Chair 1989-91), Research Committees of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (1983-1991), Cancer Council NSW (1984-89, 1991, 1993-95), Cancer Council Victoria 1996-2002).