Trailblazing women from the University of Melbourne, including Professor Jane Gunn AO, Associate Professor Ada Cheung and medical student Aayushi Khillan, have been inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in recognition of their outstanding contributions to health and research.
The Victorian Honour Roll of Women celebrates the lasting achievements of women in Victoria. Since 2001, almost 750 inductees have been honoured for their contributions to Victoria, Australia and beyond.
Professor Jane Gunn is a respected and distinguished academic general practitioner (GP) renowned for her research in women's health, primary care and mental health.
Professor Gunn made history in 2021 when she became the first woman appointed Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences in its 160-year history.
Professor Gunn led the flagship diamond study into how general practice and other health services can best support people experiencing depression, resulting in one of the most comprehensive data sets of its type in the world.
In 2023 she was also recognised for her contribution to Australia's pandemic response on the COVID-19 Honour Roll.
Associate Professor Ada Cheung is an internationally recognised endocrinologist who has devoted her career to transgender health advocacy and improving the health and social status of transgender individuals.
Her work in the trans and gender-diverse community began in 2016, when she established a small clinic upon hearing of trans people being refused care by health services.
The following year, she established the Trans Health Research Group at the University of Melbourne which works with a diverse community advisory group including trans, non-binary and gender diverse researchers and provides robust evidence to improve the health and wellbeing of this community.
Associate Professor Cheung has had a significant and tangible impact, including policy change, a statewide training program in trans health which has now trained over 1000 health professionals in Victoria and improved access to healthcare for one of the most marginalised groups in society.
Medical student Aayushi Khillan was inducted to the honour roll as an emerging leader, in recognition of her advocacy for multiculturalism, youth empowerment, and health education. In 2020 Khillan founded Body Buddies, an innovative health literacy toy company that donates 50% of its profits to charity Transplant Australia.
Honorary staff from across the University were also inducted into the honour roll for outstanding work in their respective fields:
- Associate Professor Kudzai Kanhutu - An infectious diseases specialist with the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Dean of The Royal Australasian College of Physicians, who has a particular interest in refugee health, the emergence of virtual care and digital literacy.
- Professor Melanie Bahlo AM – A world-leading statistical geneticist and bioinformatician who heads the Bahlo Laboratory and research team at WEHI, with a focus on the causes of genetic diseases.
- Professor Catriona McLean AO – During her decades-long career and contribution to the field of neuropathology, Professor McLean has examined close to a million microscope slides, providing diagnoses for brain tumours, neurodegenerative diseases and more.
- Adjunct Professor Manjula O'Connor - Psychiatrist, clinician, and researcher interested in women's mental health, family violence, complex trauma and trauma therapy. She successfully led the dowry abuse campaign in Australia culminating in changes to Victorian laws.
University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor Professor Duncan Maskell congratulated each inductee.
"These seven inductees are testament to the incredible contribution that all women make to the University of Melbourne each and every day," said Professor Maskell.
"These women continue to make a lasting impact on their communities with their discoveries and leadership. I congratulate them on the recognition that they have received from the Victorian Honour Roll of Women Program."
