Professor Robert Atkins

AM, MBBS, M.Sc, D.Sc, FRACP

Professor Robert Atkins is one of Australia’s most eminent nephrologists. He has been Director of the Department of Nephrology at Monash Medical Centre since 1972 and is Professor of Medicine at Monash University.

Professor Atkins has worked internationally at the highest levels of his profession. He was President of the International Society of Nephrology from 2001 to 2003 and has been actively involved with the ISN since 1984. He has been a member of 17 international societies covering nephrology, immunology, hypertension, nutrition and transplantation. Professor Atkins has also been President of the Australian & New Zealand Society of Nephrology, President of the Asia Pacific Society of Nephrology and a Councillor of the International Society of Peritoneal Dialysis.

Professor Atkins was a founding editor of “Nephrology” and has served on the editorial boards of a wide range of prestigious journals including Kidney International, Nature Clinical Practice Nephrology, American Journal of Kidney Diseases, Advances in Renal Replacement Therapy, Indian Journal of Nephrology, Arab Journal of Nephrology, African Journal of Nephrology, Hong Kong Journal of Nephrology and Peritoneal Dialysis Bulletin.

He has been editor of four books and has had 419 papers published in refereed journals and 560 abstracts presented at international scientific meetings and been an invited speaker at over 30 international medical congresses. Professor Atkins has been on many scientific advisory boards of international companies and a Director of the International Diabetes Institute. He is Chairman of the National Chronic Kidney Diseases Strategy Programme. He is the Asian Pacific Coordinator for the Collaborative Study Group, Head of AusDiab Kidney, and a Reviewer for WHO Chronic Kidney Disease Programme.

Professor Atkins holds an MBBS from the University of Melbourne, an M.Sc. from the University of Colorado and D.Sc. from Monash University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Physicians (FRACP).

Professor Atkins’ work has been widely recognised. He won the inaugural Priscilla Kincaid-Smith Award of the Australian Kidney Foundation, Medal for Excellence in Kidney Research (1994), a Centenary Medal for Australia in 2003 and received the Order of Australia (AM) in 2003.

Professor Paul Zev Zimmet

AO MD PhD FRACP FRCP FTSE

Professor Zimmet is project manager of the ISF-402 Project being undertaken in collaboration with the International Diabetes Institute and Monash University.

Paul Zimmet is currently Foundation Director of the International Diabetes Institute, a position he has held since 1985, Professor of Diabetes at Monash University and is a Professor at Deakin University and the Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh. He also served, until recently, on the Australian Government’s Strategic Taskforce on Diabetes. His research in Pacific and Indian Ocean populations (Micronesians, Polynesians and Melanesians and migrant Asian Indians, Chinese and Creoles) has provided new insights into the genetic contribution of type 2 diabetes and the role of obesity, exercise, nutrition and sociocultural change. More recently, he led the team that carried out the first ever national diabetes and obesity study in Australia (AusDiab). He has published over 600 scientific papers, chapters and reviews in peer-reviewed journals and books. He is Co-Editor of two major and widely used texts on diabetes - “International Textbook of Diabetes Mellitus” and “The Epidemiology of Diabetes”.

Professor Zimmet has received many awards, including the Kelly West Medal from the American Diabetes Association, Eli Lilly Award of the IDF, and the AM Cohen Award Lecture of the EASD. In 1997, at the 16th IDF Congress in Finland, he received the 1st Peter Bennett Diabetes Epidemiology Award for outstanding contributions to research on the epidemiology of diabetes. In 2002, he received the Harold Rifkin Award of the American Diabetes Association for contributions to diabetes internationally and was also conferred as Honoris Causa Doctoris by the Complutense University, Madrid, the second largest university in the world. In 2003, he was the recipient of the Kellion Award Lecture, Australian Diabetes Society and the David Curnow Plenary Lecture, Australian Association of Clinical Biochemists. He was awarded the 2004 UN/UNESCO Mehnert Award of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, the prestigious 2005 Banting Award of Diabetes United Kingdom and in 2006, the Charles Best Award Lecture of the Toronto Diabetes Association.

Professor Frank Ng

Professor Frank Ng is an Honorary Professor at Monash University and has been involved with medical science, health and nutrition and education for more than 30 years. He is a member of the Australasian Society for the study of Obesity, the Australian Diabetes Society, Endocrine Society of Australia and President of the Chinese Australian Academic Society. Professor Ng was also a member of the Monash University Academic Board and Medical Faculty Board and has published more than 100 scientific papers. Professor Ng is the Principal Investigator of a novel anti-obesity drug being developed (in Phase 2 human trials) by Metabolic Pharmaceuticals Limited. He has also been a scientific advisor for pharmaceutical companies, such as Metabolic Pharmaceuticals Limited and Phosphagenics Limited.