2020 Senior Australian of the Year on a life-saving journey

The 2020 Senior Australian of the Year is Perth-based obstetrics specialist Professor John Newnham AM.

Prof. Newnham is recognised as one of the world’s leading authorities in the prevention of pre-term birth – the single greatest cause of death and disability in children up to the age of five.

Worldwide, 15 million babies are born prematurely each year. In Australia, eight per cent of babies are born pre-term and that rate doubles in the Indigenous population.

Prof. Newnham has developed a program for preventing pre-term birth – a pioneering initiative that resulted in an eight per cent reduction in premature births across WA. After a successful national rollout in 2018, he founded the Australian Pre-term Birth Prevention Alliance – the world's first ever national program of its kind.

In accepting the honour on Australia Day, Prof. Newnham, 67, called for more support for the program.

“It is now time for prevention of pre-term birth to become a national priority for Australia,” he said.

“As a young medical student I became fascinated by life before birth, and how little was known about the events before birth and how they may impact on our health and our disease throughout the rest of our lives.

“I believe I have found an undiscovered continent, and I have spent the rest of my life exploring it.”

He said that until recently it was thought pre-term birth could not be prevented.

“However, we have shown in Western Australia that the rate can be safely reduced, improving the lives of many people.”

Prof. Newnham said his very best ideas came from being with patients and seeing the gaps.

“Practising clinical medicine gives you your very best research ideas. Then implementing the outcome of research into clinical practice, both within your own state and now across Australia, there are some that have gone across the world, it is incredibly gratifying.

“You don’t need any incentivising in this business, every complicated pregnancy I dealt with incentivised me because I know what we know and I know what we don’t know.”

1 comments

 

Professor John Newnham (aka The Baby Whisperer). Congratulations to a fine and humble West Australian!

 

 

Image result for well done Professor john newnham

 

Well deserved ABE.

Glad to see young Barty up there too!

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