Noel Hayman awarded honorary doctorate

“Professor Hayman’s dedication to the health of Indigenous populations has received well-earned international recognition,” said University Vice Chancellor and Principal Professor Stephen Garton AM. “Through research and clinical practice, he has raised awareness of the importance of preventative medicine and been a hugely positive influence on health professionals and policymakers.”

Honorary degrees are awarded to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the wider community or who have achieved exceptional academic or creative excellence. Professor Hayman has been admitted to the degree of Doctor of Medicine (honoris causa).

A Wakka Wakka and Kalkadoon Aboriginal man, Professor Hayman was one of the first two Indigenous medical students to graduate from the University of Queensland, in 1990. He established the Inala Indigenous Health Service in Brisbane in 1995. This service grew rapidly under his leadership and moved into a purpose-built Indigenous Primary Health Care facility in 2013. What began as a GP clinic became an integrated practice, combining research and teaching with health care. 

Professor Hayman has a long-serving commitment to increasing the health community’s understanding of Indigenous health issues. He has long encouraged all medical practitioners to apply mainstream primary health care services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in an accessible and appropriate fashion. A founding member of the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association, he also assists with the recruitment and training of Indigenous doctors.

Collaborating with other researchers and clinicians, Professor Hayman’s research has a strong focus on preventative medicine. He has played a key role in several statewide health promotion initiatives in Queensland. His models of care and expertise are globally recognised; he has spoken at numerous international conferences including the 2017 World Health Summit in Montreal and the UN Human Rights Council Social Forum in Switzerland.

In Australia Professor Hayman was Queensland’s Australian of the Year in 2011. Other accolades include the inaugural Close the Gap Indigenous Health Award in 2007 and last year he received the Australian Medical Association Queensland Gold Medal. The NHMRC has listed him as one of the Top 100 Higher Achievers in Australian Health and Medical Research.