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McMichael Award
"Climate change is not just about disruptions to the local economy or loss of jobs or loss of iconic species. It’s actually about weakening the foundations, the life support systems that we depend on as a human species."
—Tony McMichael, AO, FTSE, PhD, ANU Professor, and Nobel Laureate
The impacts of climate change on human health are escalating.
As the world experiences more extreme weather events and increasing disparity, there is a need for global leadership to protect the health of people and the environment.
The McMichael Award and Fellowship Program will create and foster a global network of future leaders for a flourishing world.
The McMichael cohort will:
- Develop and participate in research projects that will establish scientific foundations for community programs and policy change.
- Engage with community programs to identify, assess, and alleviate negative health impacts tied to climate change.
- Initiate programs and research projects that will continue to develop past the year of the award, contributing to the growing network and influence of McMichael Award recipients.
Award benefits
The McMichael Award supports research and career development through a global network of mentors and thought leaders connected to NCEPH through the late Emeritus Professor McMichael’s legacy. A minimum of $30,000 will be offered to the successful applicant to contribute to their agreed-upon research over 12 months.
Who can apply
As the urgency to address the impact of climate change on human health is rising, so is the need to develop the next generation of leaders. Our early and mid-career researchers (3-9 years FTE from PhD completion) have the exciting opportunity to carve out new fields of research and find solutions to the challenges our health faces because of climate change.
The Award is currently available to domestic salaried researchers at ANU who are engaged in diverse fields of study, including but not limited to population health, planetary health, environmental epidemiology, climate change and its impacts on population health, equity and health, as well as other related disciplines such as environmental science, social science, public policy, and sustainability science.
Applications close 11 August 11:59pm AEST. Please submit applications to McMichaelAward.NCEPH@anu.edu.au
Meet the recipients of the McMichael Award
2022 recipient: Dr Zoe Leviston
2023 recipients: Dr Amy Dawel and Dr Annabel Dulhunty
Learn more about Dr Amy Dawel and Dr Annabel Dulhunty's work here.
About Emeritus Professor Tony McMichael AO (1942-2014)
Tony McMichael AO, was the former Director of the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, joint winner of the Nobel peace prize, and world authority on the impact of the environment on human health. He was instrumental in alerting the world to the dangers of passive smoking, and the health impact of lead pollution – leading to a ban on lead in petrol in more than 100 countries.
Since the early 1990s, Emeritus Professor McMichael was a world authority on the risks to human health from climate change, and his work advised both the World Health Organization and the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
"Tony was a fearless and tireless champion of public health, whose work has improved the lives of millions of people around the world," says Professor Ian Young AO, former ANU Vice-Chancellor.
Award Endowment
Funding for the Award is by a generous donation from Associate Professor Judith Healy, with a gift match from the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health to endow the Tony McMichael Award. The McMichael Award is named in honour of Judith’s late husband, Emeritus Professor Tony McMichael AO.
We are seeking funding partners to help build the McMichael endowment to create an international award and fellowship program for the next generation of public health leaders, to protect the health of people and the environment.
All gifts are important for helping us achieve our goal, with gifts of 5 and 6 figures, and up, making a significant impact.
