melburnian of the year joins snowdome board

It is with great delight that we welcome leading infectious diseases physician, Professor Sharon Lewin FRACP, PhD, FAAHMS, to our Board.

Sharon is an internationally renowned researcher in HIV who has led pioneering research in the laboratory and clinical trials aimed at finding a cure for HIV. She was the local co-chair of the 20th International AIDS Conference (AIDS2014) held in Melbourne last year, which was the largest health conference ever held in Australia. In November 2014, Sharon was named Melburnian of the Year.

Among her many accomplishments, Sharon is the inaugural director of the Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity at the University of Melbourne, serves on the leadership team of the International AIDS Society’s Strategy towards an HIV Cure and is a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Blood Borne Viruses and Sexually Transmitted Infections. Sharon continues to make a remarkable contribution to science through her research in HIV and in mentoring younger generations.

“As a clinical scientist, I am passionate about how investment and innovation in science can rapidly translate to new treatments and ultimately to saving lives,” says Sharon. “We need to accelerate this path in different ways in Australia. Snowdome is bringing the latest scientific developments in cancer treatments directly to patients in Australia. This is very exciting and a model we should use for many other diseases.”

Sharon will serve as Chair for the Snowdome Grants Committee and provide strategic leadership as Snowdome invests in next-generation treatments. We look forward to working with her in our fight against blood cancers.