Isabella Caroline McMillen, (born 23 September 1954) is an Australian medical and health academic and the incumbent Chief Scientist of South Australia since October 2018. 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 20 ...

, 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. The Society was established as the Philosophical Society of Australasia on 27 June ...

and a Bragg Member of the Royal Institution of Australia. 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 The Australian Science Media Centre (AusSMC) is an independent, not-for-profit service for the news media, giving journalists direct access to evidence-based science and expertise. The Centre's aim is to better inform public debate on the major ...

and a member of the Council of the

University of South Australia The University of South Australia (UniSA) is a public research university in the Australian state of South Australia. It is a founding member of the Australian Technology Network of universities, and is the largest university in South Australi ...

Early life and education

McMillen was born in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

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

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

(Honours) and

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

from the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, and completed her medical training, graduating with a

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

, at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

Academic career

McMillen moved to Australia in 1983 to lecture at

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

. She later move to the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

, 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 rese ...

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 or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

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 Chief Scientist of South Australia 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 honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

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 Northern Ireland emigrants to Australia Academic staff of the University of Adelaide Academic staff 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