Queen’s Birthday Honours awarded to staff and alumni

More than 40 members of the University of Adelaide community have today been awarded Queen’s Birthday honours, recognising outstanding contributions to their fields of expertise.

University of Adelaide alumni, staff and affiliates right across Australia and overseas have been honoured.

Among the recipients are distinguished University of Adelaide alumna Ms Frances Adamson AC who is currently Secretary of Australia’s Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade, and South Australia’s Chief Public
Health Officer and alumna Professor Nicola Spurrier PSM.

“I congratulate all those people from the University of Adelaide community – alumni, staff, former staff, affiliates and friends – who have been recognised in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours.”Professor Peter Høj AC, Vice-Chancellor and President, University of Adelaide.

In this year’s awards, leaders who have contributed to supporting Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic are included in an ongoing and permanent COVID-19 Honour Roll. Among the University of Adelaide community, Ms Adamson, Professor Spurrier and Professor Toby Coates AO have been recognised for their services.

“I congratulate all those people from the University of Adelaide community – alumni, staff, former staff, affiliates and friends – who have been recognised in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours,” said Professor Peter Høj AC, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Adelaide.

“Those named in Australia’s honours today continue to make an impact as leaders in their fields of endeavour, such as public health and international relations, for the benefit of our society.

“Their outstanding achievements are a credit to the entire University community, and are further evidence of our University’s history of excellence.”

Notable Queen’s Birthday Honours recipients from the University’s community include:

Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)

Ms Frances Adamson – For eminent service to public administration through the advancement of Australia's diplomatic, trade and cultural interests, particularly with the People's Republic of China and the Indo-Pacific region, to innovative foreign policy development and high level program delivery, and as the 36th Governor appointed in South Australia.

The University of Adelaide recently awarded Ms Adamson an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University (honoris causa) in recognition of her enormous and continuing contribution to Australian international relations, as a diplomat, advisor, and leader. She is widely recognised for her ground-breaking roles, taking on positions that had previously only been held by men. Ms Adamson graduated from the University of Adelaide with a degree in Economics in 1985.

Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)

Emeritus Professor Peter Mark Bartold, AM – For distinguished service to dentistry, to periodontal research and education, and to professional dental organisations.

Emeritus Professor Bartold works at the University’s Adelaide Dental School. His research focuses on the biology of the periodontal connective tissues in health, disease and regeneration. In the fight against gum disease, he researches its effect on systemic health. He has been involved in establishing periodontal education programs in South East Asia. He is acknowledged by his peers as one of the world’s most influential researchers in the field of periodontology.

Professor Patrick Toby Coates – For distinguished service to renal medicine, to professional medical organisations, and to tertiary education.

Professor Coates, who is Professor of Medicine, Renal Transplantation at the Adelaide Medical School, is at the forefront of renal medicine. He is the Co-Chair of the COVID-19 National Transplantation and Donation Rapid Response Taskforce, a member of the National Indigenous Kidney Transplant Taskforce and a founder of Kidney, Transplant and Diabetes Research Australia. At the Adelaide Medical School, he heads a team of researchers at the Centre for Clinical and Experimental Transplantation, which seeks innovative treatment and potential cures for type 1 diabetes.

Professor Donald William Howie – For distinguished service to medicine in the field of orthopaedics, and to professional medical organisations.

Professor Howie is Head of the Discipline of Orthopaedics and Trauma and Co-Clinical Director of the Centre for Orthopaedic and Trauma Research at the University of Adelaide. As a senior orthopaedic surgeon, he has an international reputation specialising in joint replacement, focussing on complex revisions and hip reconstruction in young patients.

Member of the Order of Australia (AM)

Mr John Roger Crosby – For significant service to agribusiness, and to the farming sector.

Mr Crosby is a member of the University’s Agrifood and Wine Industry Advisory Board and an advocate for farmers and the Australian farming industry. He is an innovative farmer and an active mentor for many aspiring producers, researchers and professionals in agribusiness. His work has a significant impact on communities locally and globally. He studied for a Diploma of Agriculture at the University’s Roseworthy campus. In a career spanning more than four decades Mr Crosby has headed multiple agribusinesses and industry associations. He received a distinguished alumnae award in 2017.

Emeritus Professor Barbara Jean Santich – For significant service to tertiary education, to gastronomy, food culture and history.

Emeritus Professor Santich from the History Department is a culinary historian who initiated courses in food history, culture and writing at the University of Adelaide. She is contributor to various national and international publications and is the author of numerous books including the award-winning Bold Palates: Australia's Gastronomic Heritage. She contributed extensively to the Oxford Companion to Food, has presented papers at many Australian and overseas conferences, and is a regular participant at the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery.

Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)

Adjunct Professor Kaye Frances Roberts-Thomson – For service to dentistry, and to the community.

Adjunct Professor Roberts-Thomson is a former Director of the Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health (ARCPOH) at the University of Adelaide. The ARCPOH undertakes research in population oral health that is internationally recognised to be of the highest quality. During her career she has championed issues of equality in oral health especially for young adults and Indigenous people.

Public Service Medal

Professor Nicola Spurrier – For outstanding public service to community health in South Australia.

In her role as the state’s Chief Public Health Officer Professor Spurrier has been instrumental in leading the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She holds a position as Clinical Professor in the School of Public Health. Professor Spurrier is one of the key officials who has led the state throughout the pandemic, responding to the changing international, national and local situation. She graduated in 1990 with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Adelaide where she went on to attain her PhD in 1999.

The full list of all University of Adelaide Queen’s Birthday honours recipients is available on the University’s honours website.

Any Australian may make nominations for an award in the Order of Australia. More information is available at www.gg.gov.au.