Paul Komesaroff

Professor of Medicine, Monash University
Paul Komesaroff is a practising physician and Professor of Medicine at Monash University and Executive Director of the international NGO Global Reconciliation. He has a PhD in philosophy and an international reputation in health care ethics, and has made a major impact on the field of clinical ethics in Australia. He has developed expertise in both qualitative and quantitative investigations of the social and cultural dimensions of health and health care, which has lead to numerous peer reviewed articles, and extensive national and international collaboration.

Paul Komesaroff’s work is interdisciplinary: spanning clinical medicine, biomedical research, social research, philosophy and ethical theory, clinical ethics and policy development with respect to ethics and clinical practice. As a physician, his field of specialty is endocrinology. He is Director of the international ethics centre, the Centre for Ethics in Medicine and Society.

He is a member and convener of numerous scientific and research committees. In these practical settings he has been extensively involved in the education of medical students, medical practitioners, nurses and other health professionals and have contributed to the development of policy and practice guidelines in a wide range of areas.

Professor Komesaroff has authored over 350 peer reviewed articles and 14 books, the most recent of which is his novel, "Riding a crocodile: A physician's tale", the world's first bioethical thriller. He is the Chair of the editorial board of the Journal of Bioethical Inquiry and honorary ethics editor for the Internal Medicine Journal. He has received many peer reviewed grants, and has supervised more than 35 PhD students. He is extensively involved in the teaching of ethics and the philosophy of medicine at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. He is actively involved in a number of research projects in clinical ethics, including investigations of complementary medicine, HIV, Haemophilia, menopause, genetic testing, relationships with pharmaceutical industry, migrants from the Horn of Africa, obesity, cosmetic surgery and palliative care.

Professor Komesaroff believes that one of the objects of medical research is to contribute to the improvement of clinical practice and the development of new, more effective social policies. In order to achieve these goals most effectively it is important to draw on a wide range of forms of knowledge and expertise and to undertake rigorous and precise data collection, using the methodological strategies that are most appropriate to the task at hand