10 July 2015
One of Australia’s leading researchers in radiation oncology, Professor Eva Bezak has been appointed to UniSA Division of Health Sciences under the University’s 100 Professors Scheme.
The program to recruit top research and teaching leaders is part of UniSA’s plan to boost research and education across key areas of strength outlined in its strategic plan, Crossing the Horizon.
A Master of Science in Medical Physics and a PhD in Nuclear Physics, Professor Bezak, was a Chief Physicist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and is an affiliate Associate Professor at the University of Adelaide, responsible for postgraduate education and training. She has also regularly contributed to UniSA’s Medical Radiation Program over several years.
Announcing the appointment, UniSA Pro Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences Prof Robert Vink says he is delighted to be welcoming such an accomplished researcher who also has a strong background in leading postgraduate student education.
“Eva is one of Australia’s top experts in radiation medical physics with a strong portfolio of leading cancer research and at the same time, her track record as a supervisor of postgraduate students and in delivering teaching and training programs for post-graduates, is outstanding,” Prof Vink says.
“She embodies the best kind of professor - one who is deeply engaged in their research but equally keen to enlist and nurture the brightest and best students to join the quest to understand more about cancer and deliver new treatments.”
Prof Bezak sits on the Australian Academy of Science’s working party to develop a position paper on Future Accelerators in Australia. In May this year, she was elected to the Administrative Council of the International Union of Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine and appointed Chair of the Women in Physics and Biomedical Engineering Task Group.
She has served as a member of the National Radiation Oncology Tripartite Committee to develop quality and performance standards for Radiation Oncology. From 2010 to 2012, she was President of the Australian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine and also served as the Australian representative on the Asia-Pacific Federation of Medical Physics Council.
With its focus on the effects and impacts of radiotherapy in the treatment of cancers, Prof Bezak’s research will add an important dimension to UniSA’s broad focus on cancer diagnoses and treatments.
Prof Bezak will take up her position as Professor of Medical Radiation in August and says she is excited about the move.
“I am very familiar with UniSA, having made a regular contribution to the Medical Radiation degree program, but being able bring my research and teaching into the University community more fully is really exciting,” she says.
“UniSA is an enterprising organisation and one that encourages and supports its academic community to lead and innovate and I am looking forward to making my contribution here.”
Media contact: Michèle Nardelli office: +61 8 8302 0966 mobile: 0418 823 673 email: michele.nardelli@unisa.edu.au
