Professor Ed Byrne AO

Professor Byrne has had an active career in clinical neurology and basic neurological research. He received his MBBS with first class honours from the University of Tasmania in 1974 and moved to Adelaide the following year, becoming Neurology Registrar in 1977. During the years 1980 – 1982, he was the Muscular Dystrophy Research Fellow at Queen Square in London. In 1983, he returned to Australia as the Director of Neurology at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne and from 1992, was Professor/Director.

Ed was awarded the degree of Doctor of Science from the University of Melbourne in 1995. He was the Founding Director of the Melbourne Neuromuscular Research Institute and the Founding Director of the Centre for Neuroscience and Professor of Experimental Neurology at the University of Melbourne. As Director of the Centre for Neuroscience, he played a major role in driving the establishment of Neurosciences Victoria and Neurosciences Australia. He is a Board member of BUPA Pty and Cochlear Pty Ltd and immediate past Editor-in-Chief of the Internal Medicine Journal.

He is a member of the Neuromuscular Steering Group of the World Federation of Neurology. He was Secretary General and Chair of the program committee of the 9th International Neuromuscular Congress. He has served as a Governor of BHP Billiton Charitable Trustees and Board Member of Baker Heart Research Institute, Prince Henry’s Institute of Medical Science, McFarlane Burnet Centre for Medical Research, Monash Institute of Medical Research and Southern Health. He was awarded the Queen’s Square prize for Neurological Research (1982), the Bethlehem Griffiths Research Medal (2003) and the Sir Louis Pyke Award for contribution to Multiple Sclerosis (2004). He was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia in the 2006 Australia Day Honours List. Professor Byrne was Dean of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University then Executive Dean of Biomedicine, University College London and Head of the Royal Free University College Medical School and Vice Provost at University College London. He commenced at Monash University as Vice-Chancellor and President on 6 July, 2009.