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by | Mar 16, 2018 | Hosta

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Nicola Jane Spurrier PSM (born 9 December 1966) is an Australian paediatrician and public health physician who has been the Chief Public Health Officer of South Australia since August 2019.

Education

Spurrier graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Adelaide in 1990.[1] She has a Graduate Diploma in Epidemiology from the University of Newcastle (1997) and completed a PhD from Adelaide University in 1999, with a thesis titled Parental management of children's asthma:the role of psychosocial factors.[1]

Career

Spurrier worked at the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide from 1993 until 1999, before becoming a lecturer in Paediatrics and Child Health at Flinders University and consultant paediatrician at Flinders Medical Centre.[1][2][3] In 2011, the university awarded her the status of associate professor and in April 2020, professor.[3][2] She is qualified as a specialist in both public health and paediatrics.[2]

Spurrier has worked for SA Health for nearly thirty years,[3] developing and implementing programs and policies focused on child health, obesity prevention and Aboriginal health.[4][5] She is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine.[1]

Spurrier became Chief Public Health Officer for South Australia in August 2019. Four months later, she was involved in the state's response to bushfires.[6] From March 2020, Spurrier led South Australia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic,[4] giving daily press conferences alongside Premier Steven Marshall in which she was called "calm, honest and direct".[5] She became popular with the public and had a cocktail named after her at Adelaide bar 2KW.[7] Despite her "cult following", she ruled out a move into politics.[8][9]

Awards and recognition

Spurrier was one of four nominees for 2021 South Australian of the Year.[4] She was awarded a Public Service Medal in the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours for outstanding public service to community health in South Australia.[10]

In September 2022, a newly discovered species of bacteria was named Nicolia spurrieriana in recognition of Spurrier's work during the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]

Personal life

Spurrier has been married to David Spurrier, a physiotherapist, for thirty years and they have a daughter and two sons.[6][8] Her mother, sister, and brother in law are all also doctors.[12]

Selected publications

Book

Articles

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Nicola Spurrier" (PDF).
  2. ^ a b c "Professor Nicola Spurrier". Flinders University.
  3. ^ a b c Farhart, Claudia (19 April 2020). "Who are the experts behind Australia's coronavirus response?". SBS News. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Spurrier nominated for SA Australian of the Year". InDaily. 6 October 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Meet South Australia's 16 nominees for the 2021 Australian of the Year Awards". Port Pirie Recorder. 6 October 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  6. ^ a b Debelle, Penelope (29 May 2020). "SA Weekend inside story: How Nicola Spurrier became the face of South Australia's resistance to the COVID-19 crisis". The Advertiser. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  7. ^ Penberthy, David (24 September 2020). "SA tastes freedom under Marshall law". The Australian. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  8. ^ Richardson, Tom (1 March 2021). "Minister pondering new environment as Boothby contenders circle". InDaily. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  9. ^ Swanell, Cate (14 June 2021). "Queen's Birthday honorees". Medical Journal of Australia. 214 (111). Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Researchers spurred by COVID strategy name new bug after chief health officer Nicola Spurrier". ABC News. 13 September 2022.
  11. ^ "The family that gives back". Flinders University. 2020.

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