The Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences yesterday announced their 2026 Outstanding Female Researcher Medal has been awarded to our own Professor Michelle Haber AM.
Awarded annually to a leading woman researcher in Australia who has made sustained, exceptional and influential contributions to health and medical research, the Medal also recognises exceptional leadership and mentorship, as well as an international standing within the health and medical sciences.
“I feel very proud and honoured to receive this Medal,” Professor Haber said. “I’m also grateful for the opportunity it provides to highlight the importance of research into childhood cancer, with more children dying from cancer in Australia than from any other disease,” she added.
Appointed the inaugural postdoctoral researcher at Children’s Cancer Institute’s first laboratory in 1984, Professor Haber (Director of the Institute from 2000-2025) has made a significant and lasting impact in the field of childhood cancer over more than four decades.
She is internationally renowned for her contributions, particularly her research into the childhood cancers neuroblastoma and leukaemia, which has led not only to key advances in our understanding of these diseases, but also to new treatment approaches that have improved survival.
“Seeing our science make a difference, knowing we are giving hope and changing outcomes for kids with cancer, is incredibly rewarding and is what drives me every day,” she said.
The Medal, which forms part of the Academy’s commitment to recognising the achievements of women and advancing diversity and inclusion across the sector, will be formally conferred at the Academy’s Annual Meeting in October.
