Anthony (Tony) Cunningham

Professor Cunningham, AO, FAHMS, is an infectious diseases physician, clinical virologist and scientist, well known internationally for his research on the immunobiology of HIV and herpesviruses, his work on vaccine development and trialling, especially for shingles and herpes, and as an antivirals expert. He has served on numerous international expert panels on HIV/HSV, antivirals and vaccines.

Professor Cunningham is Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney, the Director of the Centre for Virus Research at The Westmead Institute for Medical Research (WIMR) and Director of the Australian Centre for HIV and Hepatitis Virology Research (ACH2). ACH2 is a Commonwealth funded institute that aims to combat the impact of HIV and hepatitis in Australia and the Asia Pacific region, by bringing together basic researchers with translational scientists and physicians. He previously trained at Stanford University, USA and built up NSW State Reference Laboratory in Virology in the mid-1980s, before assuming directorship of WIMR in 1996.

In 2010, he was awarded Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for ‘service to medicine, particularly in the field of viral research and through the development and leadership of medical and biomedical research’ and in 2015 was elected as an inaugural fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. Since stepping down from the WIMR director role at the end of 2019, Professor Cunningham has continued his research on his NHMRC senior Investigator Grant and become immersed in COVID-19 research, amongst other advisory positions including the NSW COVID Vaccines Committee.