Professor Christina Mitchell

A distinguished haematologist, Christina has made a significant contribution towards advancing medical science and developing future generations of researchers and doctors.

She has been the recipient of numerous fellowships from the National Heart Foundation. In 2006, Christina became the Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences at Monash University, the largest of the schools within the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences, and one of the Australia's most research-rich environments. She was instrumental in establishing three modern world-class Biomedical Sciences precinct buildings which opened in 2011, providing space for 800 researchers and delivering a critical mass for the conduct of cutting-edge medical research.

In 2008, Christina was made a Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor, one of only five appointees in the last 20 years and the only woman. She was also a recipient of a Monash University 50th Anniversary Research Award, and in 2013 was awarded an Honorary Degree in Medical Science from The University of Melbourne. Christina is the first woman to be appointed Dean of Medicine in any of the Group of Eight Universities in Australia.

Her research has been published in the best journals in the discipline, including EMBO Journal, Journal of Cell Biology, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Nature, New England Journal of Medicine, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, and many others.

Over the last 15 years, Christina has received funding from numerous organisations including the Australian Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, Muscular Dystrophy Association (USA), Cancer Council Victoria and Diabetes Australia Research Trust.

She is recognised for fostering the development of women in medical research through various mentoring initiatives, and through identifying, encouraging and appointing female leaders.