Richard O'brien MBBS, PhD, FRACP

Professor Richard O’Brien is the Clinical Dean of Medicine at the University of Melbourne, Austin Clinical School, and Director of Graduate Programs, at Melbourne Medical School. He is also a senior Endocrinologist and Director of the Lipid Service at Austin Health.

After completing undergraduate training at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne, Richard O'Brien undertook further studies in diabetic renal disease with Prof. George Jerums, completing a Ph.D. entitled “Diabetic Nephropathy: Early Pathophysiology and Therapeutic Intervention”. He continued his research at the Austin Hospital until 1991 when he moved to Monash Medical Centre. Prof. O’Brien spent 15 years as Head of Diabetes at Monash Medical Centre and moved back to the Austin Hospital in 2007 to take up his current position. Over the last 10 years, Prof O'Brien's research work has focused mainly on aspects of atherosclerosis in diabetes including lipid abnormalities and endothelial dysfunction and he has authored numerous scientific papers on these subjects.

Richard O’Brien is the current President of the Asian Pacific Society of Atherosclerosis and Vascular Diseases and is a past President of the Australian Atherosclerosis Society. He is also currently chair of the Australian Diabetes Society's Lipid Guidelines Committee, is the convener of the Victorian Lipid Group, and is the Victorian representative on the Australian Atherosclerosis Society Clinical Council.

In addition to his responsibilities in his role as Clinical Dean, Richard O’Brien is strongly committed to post-graduate teaching and has a long-standing interest in continuing education for general practitioners. He is frequently invited to speak at educational and scientific meetings in Australia and overseas. Prof. O’Brien also continues to be involved in direct patient care on a day-to-day basis and maintains ongoing research interests at the University of Melbourne and Austin Health.