10.05.2024Winner: Melbourne Achiever Award 2024 – Professor James McCluskey AO

Committee for Melbourne’s prestigious 2024 Melbourne Achiever Awards were announced on 9 May, honouring Professor James McCluskey AO for his outstanding and inspiring contribution to health, research and community in Melbourne.

The Melbourne Achiever Awards celebrate contributions to Melbourne that will leave a lasting legacy and are awarded to an organisation and an individual each year.

James accepted his award at the Committee’s annual gala dinner at The Melbourne Town Hall in the presence of Deputy Premier of Victoria Ben Carroll, Lord Mayor of Melbourne Sally Capp AO, and other Melbourne leaders.

Professor James McCluskey AO was awarded the 2024 Melbourne Achiever Award for his extensive individual contributions to the bio medical research sector throughout his career as well as contributions to the community. Professor McCluskey is now the Assistant Vice Chancellor at the University of Melbourne, previously Deputy Vice Chancellor for 13 years providing academic leadership across the University and with overall responsibility for research strategy.

Professor McCluskey was instrumental in the conception, construction and development of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, a joint venture between the University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health (RMH). Along with the Burnet Institute, the Doherty Institute and the University will come together to create the Australian Institute for Infectious Disease supported by the Victorian State Government. This has helped Melbourne become the home of the largest concentration of infectious disease specialists in the Southern Hemisphere. Melbourne’s reputation as a result has attracted global giants like Moderna and BioNtech to base themselves in Melbourne.

Professor McCluskey has made a significant contribution to the health services community in a career spanning more than 28 years. He has been a consultant immunologist for the Red Cross LifeBlood, Victorian Transplantation and Immunogenetics Service, and he led the team that established the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity Program. The Program is focused on developing Indigenous leadership to effect social change through reducing social disadvantage.

Professor James McCluskey has a passion for delivering innovation and setting up health and other sectors to be able to achieve exceptional research outcomes and has always explored ways that innovation and research can be developed and implemented collaboratively across the private, government and research sectors.