Bruce Robinson

Biography

 Professor Robinson is an Endocrinologist and formerly, Head of the Cancer Genetics Laboratory in the Kolling Institute at Royal North Shore Hospital. He was Acting Dean and then Dean of Medicine 2006 - 2016. Professor Robinson graduated from the University of Sydney in 1980 and then undertook studies for a Master of Science degree. His further molecular research work was performed at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School from 1986-1989 and he was awarded a Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Sydney in 1990. He has developed and led the Cancer Genetics Laboratory since 1990 and has supervised over 35 doctoral and masters students working on the genetic basis for tumour formation and gene therapy. He has published over 300 peer-reviewed scientific articles. In 2003, Professor Robinson was awarded the Daiichi Prize by the Asia and Oceania Thyroid Association for this work on the pathogenesis of thyroid cancer. Until early 2016, Professor Robinson was Dean (International) in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sydney and was Head of the Division of Medicine at the Royal North Shore Hospital from 1998-2006. He also served on the Council of the Endocrine Society of Australia from 2001-2005. He is on the Editorial Board of the International journals ‘Nature, Clinical Practice and Endocrinology’ and ‘Thyroid’. Professor Robinson has a strong interest in furthering relations between Australia and Asia and he is the Founding Chairman of Hoc Mai, the Australia-Vietnam Medical Foundation, which sponsors and supports medical nursing, allied health and scientific exchanges between Australia and Vietnam. He was awarded the People’s Health Medal by the Vietnamese Government in 2008. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. More recently Professor Robinson was appointed Chair of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Review Taskforce which will consider how services can be aligned with contemporary clinical evidence and improve health outcomes for patients. He has also been appointed as the Chair of the Council of NHMRC.

Research Interest

 Professor Bruce Robinson is an endocrinologist. His research has focused on identifying genetic changes which either predispose or directly cause endocrine tumours, and among other highlights has been the formation of an international consortium of families from around the world to study medullary thyroid carcinoma and phaeochromocytoma. He has been head of the Cancer Genetics Unit at the Kolling Institute of Medical Research, Royal North Shore Hospital, since 1989. He continues to practice at Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital. Professor Robinson has supervised 37 PhD students and has more than 250 research publications. Professor Robinson was Dean of Sydney Medical School from 2007 until 2016. Since 2001, he has been Chairman of Hoc Mai Foundation, a major program in medical and health education and exchange with Vietnam. Professor Robinson is Chair of the Australian Government’s Taskforce of expert clinicians charged with reviewing the Medicare Benefits Schedule and in 2015 was appointed as Chair of Australia’s peak advisory and funding body for medical research, National Health and Medical Research Council.