Professors Mukesh Haikerwal & Jane Burns appointed Honorary Enterprise Professors

Hon Professor Mukesh Haikerwal AC is a principal GP and an industry leader in the field of medicine, policy and primary care.  He held the prestigious role of President of the Australian Medical Association. More recently he was awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to medical governance, administration, and technology, and to medicine, through leadership roles with a range of organisations, to education and the not-for-profit sector, and to the community of Western Melbourne.

Prof Haikerwal has been a senior leader on many relevant national boards such as the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Beyondblue and the Cancer Council  and is currently a Co-Chair on the MACH (Melbourne Academic Centre for Health) Primary Care Committee, along with Prof Lena Sanci.

Prof Haikerwal is also an integral part of a new research program Future Health Today jointly led by the Department of General Practice and Western Health, providing technology at the point of care to enable better diagnosis and management of chronic kidney disease.

As an honorary of our Department, Prof Haikerwal will bring invaluable knowledge in government policy making, in health system innovation, and shaping our research agenda as we strive to meet our vision of improving the health care system and improving health outcomes for the diverse communities we serve.



Prof Burns is widely recognised for her outstanding achievements in the mental health sector. She has held a number of academic appointments, including her current appointment as a lecturer at the Sydney Business School delivering a course on leadership and innovation to the Executive Master of Business Administration.  As the founder and CEO of the Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre she was integral in raising significant funding to explore how technology can be used to improve the mental health and well-being of young people.

Her knowledge base extends well beyond academia as a strategic advisor to industry, government and the non-government sector on mental health, suicide prevention, innovation, digital health solutions, participatory health and co-design with people and families with a lived experience. Prof Burns has received numerous accolades for her work including winning the Westpac/Financial Review 100 Women of Influence in the category of Social Enterprise and Not-For-Profit in 2015.

As a joint Honorary Melbourne Enterprise Professor in both the Department of General Practice and the Centre for Mental Health, we look forward to future research collaborations.