The Governor of Victoria Professor David de Kretser AC will be the Guest Speaker for the 2009 Western District Health Service Handbury Lecture.
May 23, 2009
The Handbury Lecture has been an annual event of the Health Service calendar for the past decade. Western District Health Service Chief Executive Officer – Mr Jim Fletcher said “the lecture has maintained a status of excellence with guest speakers who have been inspirational leaders and role models contributing significantly to health care both in Australia and internationally.” “This year we are honoured and privileged to have Professor David de Kretser Governor of Victoria as our Guest Speaker to what will be a full house. Those in attendance can expect to enjoy a captivating and thought provoking lecture” he said. Professor de Kretser is a Companion of the Order recipient and has researched into male reproductive biology, infertility and endocrinology over many years with over 400 papers featured in national and international peer reviewed journals with many papers presented at international meetings.He was educated at Camberwell Grammar School, the University of Melbourne and Monash University and received his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery Degrees from the University of Melbourne in 1962, and his Doctorate of Medicine from Monash University in 1969. His doctoral research focussed on the structure and function of the human testis.
Professor de Kretser was the founding Director of the Monash Institute of Reproduction and
Development from 1991-2005, and Professor of Anatomy of the Faculty of Medicine of Monash
University since 1978. He was also Associate Dean for Biotechnology Development in the
Faculty from 2002 to 2006. In 2003, he was named a Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor.
In 2000, with support from the Federal Government, Professor de Kretser initiated a highly successful program of community and professional education in male reproductive health called Andrology Australia.
He has served on various boards, including the Human Reproduction Program at the World Health Organisation and the Executive Council of the International Society of Andrology and is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.
Professor de Kretser was made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2006, and received the Centenary medal in 2003. He assumed office as the 28th Governor of Victoria on 7 April 2006.
Photo: WDHS Chair Mary-Ann Brown, Geoff Handbury, Professor David de Krester, WDHS chief executive Jim Fletcher and Jan de Krester before the 10th annual Handbury Lecture