James Morton is an Australian medical doctor and advocate for children with

autism spectrum disorders The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental disorder, neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) ...

. Morton is a specialist

haematologist Hematology ( always spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood. It involves treating diseases that affect the produc ...

and

oncologist Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

at Brisbane's Mater Hospital and a senior specialist with the Leukaemia & Bone Marrow Transplant Service at the

Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH) is a tertiary public hospital located in Herston, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is operated by Metro North Health, part of the Queensland Health network. The hospital has 929 bed ...

.Biography: Dr James Morton
Icon Cancer Centre. Retrieved 9 June 2020.

Biography

Morton graduated with a MBSS from the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

in 1987 and completed his general medical training in 1991. In 1996, Morton travelled to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

where he was an international fellow at the

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, formerly known as the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and also known as Fred Hutch or The Hutch, is a cancer research institute established in 1975 in Seattle, Washington. History The center grew out o ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, before returning to Australian in 1998. Morton was previously board member of Icon Cancer Care and the

Leukaemia Foundation The Leukaemia Foundation is the only national charity in Australia dedicated to assisting those with leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma, MDS, MPN, Waldenström's macroglobulinaemia, aplastic anaemia, amyloidosis, and related blood-disorders survi ...

, where he was credited with developing the World's Greatest Shave initiative into an annual national campaign from a one-off event in

Lismore, New South Wales Lismore is a city in northeastern New South Wales, Australia and the main population centre in the City of Lismore Local government in Australia, local government area; it is also a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State. It ...

. Morton is arguably best known for his advocacy of children with

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

.Davies, Hannah (6 June 2020
2020 Queensland Greats list celebrates our local heroes
''

The Courier Mail ''The Courier-Mail'' is an Australian newspaper published in Brisbane. Owned by News Corp Australia, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner norther ...

''. Retrieved 9 June 2020. After his two-year-old son was diagnosed with autism in 2002, Morton worked with other parents to establish a foundation to support autistic children and their families with evidence-based early intervention. The Autism and Early Intervention Outcomes Unit (AEIOU) Foundation for Children with Autism was founded in 2005. Initially opening just one special early childhood centre in

Moorooka Moorooka is a southern Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Moorooka had a population of 10,368 people. Geography Moorooka is by road south of Brisbane's central business district. ...

, the foundation now operates nine centres across

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, employing 125 full-time staff and hosting about 300 autistic children. In 2007, Morton commissioned a report which found the treatment of autism and similar conditions was costing the Australian economy up to $7 billion each year. Following the report, Australian Prime Minister

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the s ...

announced that $190 million of additional funding would be delivered to support services for autistic children. The funding announcement was welcomed by Morton who described it as a "monumental package". Morton was named in the

2015 Australia Day Honours The 2015 Australia Day Honours were announced on 26 January 2015 by the Governor General of Australia, Sir Peter Cosgrove. The Australia Day Honours are the first of the two major annual honours lists, announced on Australia Day (26 January), with ...

and was made a

Member 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 for his significant service to children with autism spectrum disorders and to the field of oncology. On

Queensland Day Queensland Day is officially celebrated on 6 June as the birthday of the Australian state of Queensland. History Moves towards statehood began with a public meeting in 1851 to consider separation of Queensland from the Colony of New South Wa ...

in 2020, Morton was named as a

Queensland Great Queensland Day is officially celebrated on 6 June as the birthday of the Australian state of Queensland. History Moves towards statehood began with a public meeting in 1851 to consider separation of Queensland from the Colony of New South Wa ...

.2020 Queensland Greats recipients

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended fr ...

. Retrieved 9 June 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morton, James Year of birth missing (living people) Living people University of Queensland alumni Australian haematologists Queensland Greats Members of the Order of Australia Autism activists People educated at Brisbane State High School Australian oncologists