Michael Abramson

Michael is Deputy Head of the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine and an honorary medical officer in Allergy, Immunology & Respiratory Medicine at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. He graduated in Medicine from Monash University in 1979 and received his PhD from the University of Newcastle in 1990 for research into occupational asthma. His current research program covers the epidemiology of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, including genetic and environmental risk factors such as smoking, air pollution and occupation, and the role of spirometry in managing these conditions. This work has been supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Research Council, Department of Health and Human Services, Victorian Health Promotion Foundation, Australian Lung Foundation and Asthma Victoria. He also leads the Centre for Population Health Research on Electromagnetic Energy (PRESEE). Michael currently teaches Evidence Based Clinical Practice to medical students and postgraduate Clinical Research Methods at Monash University. He holds or has held positions on NHRMC and Health Research Council of New Zealand panels, and committees of the Lung Foundation of Australia, Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand, Asthma Victoria, Asthma Australia and the National Asthma Council. He chaired the Scientific Committee for the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology conference in 2017, and was a committee member for the International Symposium on Epidemiology in Occupational Health and an Australasian Epidemiological Association conference. He has been an invited speaker at a number of international meetings. He received the Research Medal of TSANZ in 2011, a National Award from Asthma Australia in 2013 and a Lung Foundation Australia Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 and shared the Dean's Award for Excellence in Research (Economic & Social Impact) in 2017.