Appointment of Professor Robyn Ward AM to the Telstra Health Board

Academic leader, cancer researcher and clinician Professor Robyn Ward AM has been appointed to the Telstra Health Board.

Since 2018 Professor Ward has served as Pro-Vice Chancellor Medicine and Health, and Executive Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney. Previous career roles have included Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) at the University of Queensland, as well as senior academic roles at UNSW Sydney.

Chair of the Telstra Health Board, Brendon Riley said:

“Professor Ward joins the Board at a unique and important period in Telstra Health’s development, joining a rapidly growing business that continues to scale, expand internationally and is on track to generate revenue of $500m by FY25.”

“Professor Ward will bring her extensive clinical expertise to the Board, providing advice on co-design of digital solutions from a clinician’s perspective as well as bring her strong governance and risk credentials.”

Since 2009, Prof Ward has served as the Chair of the Commonwealth’s Medical Services Advisory Committee, advising the Commonwealth Health minister on the circumstances under which public funding should be provided for medical services, technologies and procedures. She is the longest-serving member of the Australian Commonwealth’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (2000-2019), where her expertise in oncology and cancer biology helped evaluate the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of subsidising drugs, as well as developing policies regarding the best use of medicines in Australia. Over her research career, she has published over 270 original manuscripts that have been cited over 20,000 times by peers.

In addition to her role on the Telstra Health Board, Prof Ward serves on the Council and Executive of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, and on the board of Red Cross LifeBlood Australia. She is the Australian Commonwealth representative for the Health Technology Assessment International (HTAi) group, and program director of eviQ for the NSW Cancer Institute. In 2013 Prof Ward was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to medical research and patient care in the field of oncology.