Prof Peter Doherty returns to speak at the Melbourne Forum

In 2013, Laureate Professor Peter Doherty spoke to Melbourne Forum members on a range of topics including the work of the Geelong-based Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (formerly the Australian Animal Health Laboratory) on bat-borne viruses, the 2009 swine flu and the fact that we had “ducked a bullet” with SARS. He also touched on the economic cost of pandemic infections.

Peter has been prominent in the media over the past 12 months as he has been regularly called on to provide expert commentary on the coronavirus pandemic. In a recent ABC interview he praised the development and rollout of COVID-19 vaccines as “modern science at its best”.

The patron and namesake of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Peter has been involved in research on infection and immunity for 50 years. He shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1996 with Swiss colleague Rolf Zinkernagel for discovering how the immune system recognises virus-infected cells.

Peter was Australian of the Year in 1997. Apart from published reviews and research papers he is the author of several ‘lay’ books including A Light History of Hot Air, The Beginners Guide to Winning the Nobel Prize and Pandemics: What Everyone Needs to Know.

Peter’s research over the past four decades has focused on T cell-mediated immunity in virus infections. His current focus is on the public communication of science and on defending an evidence-based view of the world.

We are delighted to welcome Peter back in 2021 to share his insightful thoughts on the COVID-19 pandemic — the more than 12-month journey that we have endured and what lies ahead for the world and Australia in particular.