Leading Western Australian paediatric infectious diseases specialist honoured with Frank Fenner Award
Associate Professor Asha Bowen has been awarded the 2022 Frank Fenner Award for Advanced Research in Infectious Diseases.
Named after Professor Frank Fenner, an Australian pioneer of viral research, the prestigious award is the peak research award from the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID). It is awarded annually based on a portfolio of original research in infectious diseases.
Associate Professor Asha Bowen is a paediatric infectious diseases specialist and head of the infectious diseases department at Perth Children’s Hospital. She is also the Program Head of the END RHD research program at the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Telethon Kids Institute. She is also the co-chair ASID’s Australian and New Zealand Paediatric Infectious Diseases Group (ANZPID).
Accepting the Award at the ASID Annual Scientific Meeting in Perth, Associate Professor Bowen said it was a tremendous honour to be receiving the award.
“Curiosity drives the best scientists, compelling them to understand more and to change that new knowledge into meaningful impact. This was evident in Frank Fenner’s work and has been a characteristic of all those who have previously received the ASID Frank Fenner Award. It is an honour to be recognised amongst these outstanding Australasian scientists," Associate Professor Bowen said.
ASID President Professor Allen Cheng said that Associate Professor Bowen was a worthy recipient.
“Asha is one of the brightest clinician-scientists of her generation. She displays all the qualities this award embodies — a sharp scientific mind, strong leadership, a genuine desire to collaborate, and a commitment to ensuring research is translated into solid outcomes which benefit both end users and the health system which supports them.”
Associate Professor Bowen’s main body of work is in improving skin health in remote and urban living Aboriginal children. Her efforts to reduce skin disease has driven breakthrough knowledge and policy change and improved health outcomes in WA and through National Guidelines informed by evidence, across Australia. Healthy skin is important to all – it is the largest organ of our body and always on show. Achieving healthy skin is even more important for remote living Aboriginal children as part of preventing the deadly heart condition, rheumatic heart.
“Asha’s work is making a meaningful difference to the lives of children, families, and communities,” said Professor Cheng.
‘’In addition, like many in the Infectious Diseases community, the scope of her research, advocacy and guideline leadership was broadened to include COVID-19, and Asha was involved in a wide variety of research studies from understanding transmission dynamics of COVID-19 in children, to school-based wellbeing and swabbing studies.”
Associate Professor Bowen thanked ASID for the award and recognising the importance of her work.
“Walking alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians has been a big part of my work to meaningfully change health outcomes for children and our country’s future,” she said.
