{"id":115,"date":"2019-02-15T15:28:15","date_gmt":"2019-02-15T04:58:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/alumni-stories\/?p=115"},"modified":"2021-04-06T15:08:57","modified_gmt":"2021-04-06T05:38:57","slug":"professor-chris-baggoley-ao-first-among-equals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/alumni-stories\/2019\/02\/15\/professor-chris-baggoley-ao-first-among-equals\/","title":{"rendered":"Professor Chris Baggoley AO – First among equals"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Australia\u2019s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Baggoley AO, enrolled in the Flinders postgraduate medical program in 1974 after completing a degree in veterinary science, deciding that his destiny lay in human health care.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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After a stellar career in diverse corners of the health universe, Professor Baggoley was appointed Chief Medical Officer in 2011 and quickly had to come to terms with the contradictions between a public afflicted by epidemics of non-communicable diseases such as obesity and heart disease, but primarily engaged in concern over relatively rare communicable diseases, such as Ebola and new forms of influenza.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew forms of infection tend to capture the public\u2019s imagination and while they are important, it is essential to keep perspective and a balance in the way we focus on health priorities,\u201d Professor Baggoley said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommunication is critically important in health care, but it\u2019s not just about telling. It\u2019s about finding better ways to educate people so they understand.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all look up Google when we have got a problem or think we have got a health problem \u2013 that\u2019s just the way of the world \u2013 and there is an unprecedented amount of information available to us, both good and bad information.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, our health literacy \u2013 our understanding of that information \u2013 is not at a strong level.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn health care we have tended to take for granted that people understand the information we give them, but they often don\u2019t; so improved communication is essential for medical professionals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Professor Baggoley is leading by example, regularly briefing the most senior figures in government on new and emerging health threats.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t downplay the threat that new diseases can pose,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cBut we also need to improve health literacy and understanding across the board, to help Australians enjoy a healthier future.\u201d<\/p>\n