On behalf of all of us at DEA, I’m delighted to congratulate Dr Eugenie Kayak who has been appointed Melbourne Enterprise Professor in Sustainable Healthcare in the Department of Critical Care, Melbourne Medical School. 

The appointment recognises Eugenie’s incredible advocacy, exceptional knowledge and strong leadership in sustainable healthcare. 

In this part-time role, Eugenie will develop strategies to incorporate sustainable healthcare initiatives into research, teaching and engagement across the Melbourne Medical School, hospital partners, the faculty more broadly, the healthcare system and the wider community. 

Eugenie has been a passionate advocate for the healthcare sector to accept it has a role and a duty to address its sizeable carbon footprint and improve sustainability measures. 

Eugenie has been a major contributor to Green College Guidelines: Reducing the Environmental Impact of your Medical College or Specialty, DEA’s Net zero emissions: responsibilities, pathways and opportunities for Australia’s healthcare sector report and Proposal for a National Sustainable Healthcare Unit, as well as the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetist’s (ANZCA’s) Statement on Environmental Sustainability in Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine Practice. Furthermore, she has worked with the AMA in a joint DEA/AMA MOU and collaboration calling for the Australian healthcare sector to be net zero carbon emissions by 2040. 

Eugenie has been a long-standing member of DEA and is currently the convenor of DEA’s national Sustainable Health Care Special Interest Group.  She was DEA co-chair from 2018 to 2020. 

Eugenie will be a speaker at DEA’s national conference ‘iDEA 2022: Time to Act’, at The University of Melbourne, 2-4 September 2022. 

Read the Melbourne University’s announcement HERE

Congratulations once again, Eugenie: You’re truly leading by example to place sustainable healthcare front and centre! 

Dr John Van Der Kallen 
DEA National Chair