Congratulations to Professor Kelvin Kong, Australia’s first Indigenous ENT surgeon, who has been given one of the country's most prestigious honours.
A former global ambassador on ENT & Audiology News, Prof Kong said he was "honoured and humbled" to be made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).
Proud of his Worimi heritage, he told NITV: "I don't profess that this is my work, this is a whole lot of work by the community."
Based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Prof Kong specialises in middle ear disease, which has a higher-than-average prevalence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, affecting as many as 70% living in remote communities.
Prof Kong is a champion of equality in health provision in Australia. Among his many professional affiliations, he has been an advocate for the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation. Previous awards include the medal of the Australian Society for Medical Research.
“If I go back to the pride I have in my research and my work, then it’s about bringing awareness of ear disease, and it’s about educating our country – because you can’t learn if you can’t hear,” he told ENT & Audiology News in 2021. Read the full interview here.
