Central Clinical School professors recognised in 2023 King’s Birthday Honours
L-R: ProfHarshal Nandurkar, Prof Duncan Topliss
Congratulations to Professors Harshal Nandurkar and Duncan Topliss, who were awarded the Member (AM) of the General Division as part of this year’s King’s Birthday Honours.
Professor Harshal Nandurkar was recognised for his significant service to medicine, particularly as a haematologist.
Prof Nandurkar began his medical career in India, before moving to Australia in the 1980s to continue his training at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and Monash University.
After an initial stint at St Vincent’s Hospital, Prof Nandurkar spent 15 years at the University of Melbourne before joining Monash University and Alfred Health in 2015 in a joint appointment. He is a Professor of Medicine (Haemotologist) and the Head of the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases (ACBD) at Central Clinical School, where he leads a vascular biology research group focused on thrombosis and genetics of blood cancer. He is also the Director of Clinical Haematology Alfred Health and Program Director of Alfred Cancer.
He remains an active clinician, consulting with patients in Melbourne and Mildura, and his clinical interests include benign haematology, malignant haematology, bleeding disorders and thrombosis.
On receiving this award, Prof Nandurkar said: "I am overwhelmed by the recognition! In my case, the award reflects more about the environment than me. I am grateful to Alfred Health and Monash University for the past eight years and before that to St Vincent’s and the University of Melbourne for creating the ideal infrastructure and mentoring to enable my contribution."
Professor Duncan Topliss is a Professor of Medicine in Central Clinical School’s Department of Medicine, and is also Director of the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes at the Alfred Hospital.
He was awarded the Member (AM) in the General Division for significant service to endocrinology, and to professional organisations.
Prof Topliss’s interests include the prevention and management of acute and chronic complications of diabetes and drug management and safety.
He is a past-President and Life Member of the Endocrine Society of Australia, and has served on the editorial board of Clinical Endocrinology. He is a frequent reviewer for Clinical Endocrinology, the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Thyroid, and other endocrine journals.
He has been involved with the development and implementation of Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) for diabetes and other endocrine diseases at the local level over many years. A highly respected researcher, he has contributed to numerous major international diabetes trials.
Prof Topliss is a member of both the Australian Advisory Committee on the Safety of Medicine and the Australian Advisory Committee on Pharmaceutical Medicines of the Therapeutic Goods Administration, and has chaired the Drugs and Therapeutics Committee of Alfred Health for over 25 years.
You can find the full list of honorees from Monash Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences here.