Robert Douglas

Emeritus Professor Bob Douglas is a Visiting Fellow at ANU and a former Director of its National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health. He is a Director of Australia21 and editor of its recent volumes of essays on "Placing Global Change on the Australian election agenda", "Refugees and asylum seekers:Finding a better way" and "Who speaks for and protects the public interest in Australia?".

He retired from his post as the Foundation Director of the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at the ANU 2001, after starting in the role on 1989. His 40-year medical career spanned work as a specialist physician in Papua New Guinea, being Dean of the Medical School at the University of Adelaide and Chair of a Geneva based World Health Advisory Group.

His research spanned epidemiology and prevention of respiratory Infections, evaluation of health care, organisation of general practice and issues of water quality and its treatment. He was honoured for contributions to medicine by the award of Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2000.

Following his retirement, he established a new body, Australia 21 with five colleagues from various walks of Australian life. He chaired organisation's board from 2001 to 2011. (www.australia21.org.au)

Douglas has recently led projects on Australian readiness for global change, illicit drugs and assisted death, inequality and asylum seeker policy.
In 2006, he published a small book entitled “SEE-Change Centres, Grey Power and Hope”.

Bob was Founding Chair SEE-Change Inc from 2006 to 2012 (www.see-change/org/au ). The organisation helps empower local communities and schools to take action on climate change and their ecological footprint. He currently leads the 2020 Vision Project, which is working with ACT Schools to run a 2015 Parliament on Climate Change.

Bob was a finalist for the ACT Australian of the Year for 2007 and in October 2008 shared the ACT Conservation Council’s Supreme Green Hero award. In April 2011, he was named the ACT Environmental Volunteer of the Year.