Isabella Caroline McMillen (born 23 September 1954) is an Australian medical and health academic and was

Chief Scientist of South Australia The Chief Scientist of South Australia is an independent advisory role to the Government of South Australia, providing advice to the Premier and Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furnitu ...

from October 2018 to August 2023. She is a Fellow of the

Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences The Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences is an academy to promote health and medical sciences in Australia. It was established in June 2014. It cites "The Academy will serve the three purposes identified as of high priority in the 2 ...

, a Fellow of the

Royal Society of New South Wales The Royal Society of New South Wales is a learned society based in Sydney, Australia. The Governor of New South Wales is the vice-regal patron of the Society. It is the oldest learned society in the Southern Hemisphere. The Society traces its ...

and a Bragg Member of the

Royal Institution of Australia The Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus) is a national scientific not-for-profit organisation based in Adelaide, South Australia, whose mission is science communication. It opened in October 2009 and is housed in the historic Stock Exchange bu ...

. She is a Director of Compass Housing Services Co Ltd, the

South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute The South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) is an independent health and medical research institute in Adelaide, South Australia. The institute is housed in a purpose-built eponymous building with its iconic " cheese-grat ...

, the Australian Science Media Centre and a member of the Council of the

University of South Australia The University of South Australia is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1991, it is the successor of the former South Australian Institute of Technology. Its main campuses along North Terrace are ...

Early life and education

McMillen was born in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, Northern Ireland, on 23 September 1954, and grew up in England. She holds a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

(Honours) and

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

from the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

, and completed her medical training, graduating with a

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education trad ...

, at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

Academic career

McMillen moved to Australia in 1983 to lecture at

Monash University Monash University () is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Named after World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the ...

. She later move to the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

, where she was appointed the head of physiology from 1992. Her early research focused on the effects of prenatal nutrition on adult diseases. Her research was funded for two decades by the

Australian Research Council The Australian Research Council (ARC) is the primary non-medical research funding agency of the Australian Government, distributing more than in grants each year. The Council was established by the ''Australian Research Council Act 2001'', ...

and the

National Health and Medical Research Council The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is the main statutory authority of the Australian Government responsible for medical research. It was the eighth largest research funding body in the world in 2016, and NHMRC-funded res ...

and she was on the

PMSEIC The Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC) is the Australian government's principal source of advice on science, engineering and innovation issues, as well as relevant aspects of education and training. When PMSEIC wa ...

Working Group on

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

maternal and perinatal health. McMillen was also a Member of the Expert Advisory Group for Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE). McMillen has served on industry boards such as the Australia Automotive Industry Innovation Council, CRC for Advanced Automotive Technology and the CRC for Rail Innovation as well as the South Australian Premier’s Climate Change Council and the NSW Innovation and Productivity Council. She has also served on the Boards of the Australian Business Higher Education Round Table, Universities Australia and the Universities Admissions Centre. McMillen was Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice President of Research and Innovation at the

from 2005 to 2011. In 2011, she was appointed as the seventh Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Newcastle. In November 2017, McMillen announced her intention to retire as vice-chancellor, just one year into her four-year contract renewal. She completed her term on 4 November 2018. At the end of her term, McMillen was presented with the Key to the City of Newcastle by Nuatali Nelmes, the Lord Mayor of Newcastle, on 12 October 2018. Following her retirement from academia, McMillen became the fifth

on 18 October 2018. In the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was appointed an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

in recognition of her "distinguished service to medical science, and to tertiary education, to the community of South Australia, and to social equity."

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:McMillen, Caroline 1954 births Alumni of the University of Cambridge Alumni of the University of Oxford Australian women scientists 20th-century British medical doctors Living people Academic staff of Monash University Emigrants from Northern Ireland to Australia Academic staff of the University of Adelaide Vice-chancellors of the University of Newcastle (Australia) Academic staff of the University of South Australia Fellows of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences Fellows of the Royal Society of New South Wales Officers of the Order of Australia