Doherty chief awarded top gong, says pandemic has changed the way Victorians work
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Doherty chief awarded top gong, says pandemic has changed the way Victorians work

The way Melburnians work will change permanently and for the better, Doherty Institute chief Sharon Lewin predicts.

"I suspect that COVID will change the way that we work, so, even when we're allowed to come back to work, I'm not sure everyone will come back to work in their offices as they've done before," she said.

Life will change, but for the better, says Professor Sharon Lewin.

Life will change, but for the better, says Professor Sharon Lewin.Credit:Simon Schluter

"I think we'll have a new work and way of working ... it will bring lots of advantages to many people, especially people that have long commutes and young families."

Professor Lewin has been one of the quiet achievers of Victoria's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, helping to bring the state to within a heartbeat of eliminating the virus.

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As director of The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, a joint venture between the University of Melbourne and Royal Melbourne Hospital, it has been a year like no other for Professor Lewin.

She was hiking in Patagonia when news of the first cases emerged from Wuhan. Within days, Professor Lewin's colleagues were working to replicate the virus in a laboratory setting. The Doherty Institute in January became the first institution to recreate the novel coronavirus from a patient sample outside China.

"Back in January, we didn't realise it was going to be global," she said.

"It was interesting to us, because we're virologists. It was already having a huge impact in China, and I think that we were very pleased that, (a) we could make such a big contribution globally by sharing it, and (b) that it really highlighted the investment and years and years and years of building skills in those areas."

The breakthrough paved the way for local researchers to validate test results and to work on improving diagnostic testing and researching treatments and a vaccine.

On Tuesday Professor Lewin will be awarded the Committee for Melbourne's highest honour, the Melbourne Achiever Award, by Victorian Governor Linda Dessau.

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Previous winners include Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, Cathy Freeman, Christine Nixon and Shane Warne.

The annual awards honour Melburnians who have made significant contributions to the city that will have a lasting impact. In 2020, for a city held hostage by COVID-19, Professor Lewin is a natural choice.

"Along with every Victorian who contributed to the COVID-19 response, I am thankful to all our medical research institutes, including the Doherty Institute, who worked together and with government and community to have such an impact on this virus," Professor Lewin said.

"Getting to zero infections is an extraordinary feat. It's the collaborative spirit in Melbourne that makes it such a special city to live and work in."

Before the onset of the pandemic, Professor Lewin's professional life revolved around the long-running hunt for a cure for HIV and the links between HIV and hepatitis B.

"There's always been interest in HIV – maybe because it's spread through sex and drugs," she laughs.

"When you get to a dinner party and tell people you work in HIV, they're always interested, so, I feel I have been spoiled working in an area that is interesting to lots of people, but this is beyond, you know, this is another level."

RMIT University will also be named Melbourne's most outstanding organisation for 2020.

Committee for Melbourne chief executive Martine Letts praised the university's COVID-19 response.

"Working with the City of Melbourne, Victorian government and community organisations, RMIT expanded its financial hardship support for students affected by the pandemic, wherever they called home," she said.

The Committee for Melbourne's digital awards ceremony, at 4pm on Tuesday, is open to the public. Register here or email events@melbourne.org.au

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