Alan Mackay-Sim named Australian Of The Year

A Queensland scientist paving the road to recovery for people with spinal cord injuries has been awarded Australian of the Year.

Emeritus Professor Alan Mackay-Sim is a leading biomedical scientist in stem cell research.

His work contributed to the world’s first successful restoration of mobility in a quadriplegic man.

‘I was always fascinated with the body and how it worked, as a kid,’ he told Neil Mitchell.

‘It’s just been something that’s been in me for a long time.’

He told Neil Mitchell he chatted to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull last night to lobby for longer term funding in the scientific field.

‘(To) raise the conversation about longer term funding,’ he said.

‘To try and think about research as an infrastructure that we have to think of as longer term.’

He’s hopeful for further advancements in treating people with quadriplegia and paraplegia. 

And he also spoke about his own treatment for myeloma, and how it made him change pace.

Click PLAY to hear the full interview: