Congratulations to Professor Ian Alexander, the 2022 recipient of Research Australia’s prestigious Peter Wills Medal.
The Peter Wills Medal is Researcher Australia’s flagship award that recognises outstanding individuals who have contributed to the health and medical research fields, bolstered Australia’s reputation on the world stage, and fostered collaboration for better health.
Receiving the Peter Wills Medal is a testament to the significant, long-term and world-leading contributions Professor Alexander has made as a leader in gene therapy.
Professor Alexander’s work has helped to advance the gene therapy field for genetic diseases like Sanfilippo, bringing hope to children with rare, life-threatening genetic conditions and their families.
Sanfilippo Children’s Foundation is also grateful to Professor Alexander, the outgoing Chair and a member of the foundation's Scientific Advisory Board. In this position, he provides expert scientific advice to help inform the foundation’s funding decisions.
Professor Alexander has positions at The University of Sydney and The Children's Hospital at Westmead. He is Head of the Gene Therapy Research Unit, a joint initiative of the Children's Medical Research Institute and Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, which was established more than 25 years ago.
Upon receiving the Peter Wills Medal, Professor Alexander said: “As a clinician-scientist, I feel deeply about the importance of biomedical research. It is the bedrock of good clinical medicine, and I’d like to see an increasingly strong research culture evolve in our health system.
“I’m particularly excited about the prospects for infants, children and their families dealing with devastating and currently untreatable genetic diseases. In fact, I have never been more excited in my entire medical and research career.”
More information about the Research Australia Awards can be found on their website: https://researchaustralia.org/awards/
