Who are the people leading the charge to safeguard our state and its people?

The Courier-Mail’s top 55 operators in the health sphere were assessed by one key criteria: their ability to influence the decisions that matter in Queensland.

They were also critiqued on how effectively they use this influence.

POWER 100: Queensland’s most powerful people 100-51

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BUSINESS:Queensland’s 60 most powerful business leaders

CELEBRITY: 65 most influential in arts and entertainment

PROPERTY: Queensland’s most powerful property players

EDUCATION: Queensland’s 50 most influential in education

TOURISM: Queensland’s 70 most powerful in tourism, hospitality

TOMORROW: Queensland’s Top 50 Most Powerful

Scroll to the bottom to read how we selected the list

1. JOHN GERRARD

Chief Health Officer

The unassuming infectious disease expert was appointed chief health officer to help lead Queensland out of the Covid-19 pandemic after the late 2021 departure of Jeannette Young to Government House.

Gerrard’s unflappable manner helped ease anxiety when cases soared as he chartered the state through the Omicron wave at the start of the year. Gerrard’s advice determines the decisions announced by the Premier and Health Minister. He has changed the narrative of the pandemic, resisting mandates and urging personal responsibility around mask wearing and social distancing.

Working at the Gold Coast University Hospital, Gerrard treated the first Covid-19 cases in Queensland in January 2020.

2. BETH MOHLE

Queensland Nurses and Widwives Union secretary

Under a Labor government beholden to the unions, Beth Mohle is a powerful figure. She has become a fixture of Australia’s medical universe in her nearly four decades of work as a nurse.

Before she climbed the ranks to become the Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union secretary, she worked as a nurse on the floor treating and healing patients, and completed her Registered Nurse training at the Royal Brisbane Hospital.

She’s been a passionate supporter of medical unions and has campaigned for a number of policies to advance the interest of nurses and midwives. She became the organiser of the Queensland Nurses Union in 1991 and in 2011, stepped into the role of QNMU Secretary in 2011.

3. GARY BULLOCK

United Workers Union national political director

From ambulance and paramedics to health and fitness workers, Gary Bullock’s UWU covers many key stakeholders in the health sector.

Bullock is known as “Blocker”, for his ability to push his weight around and get deals done. He is influential not simply because of the sheer number of different jobs that fall under the UWU umbrella but because he bankrolled the campaigns of a large number of now-Labor MPs when the party was considered a slim chance to win the 2015 election.

4. IAN FRAZER

Translational Research Institute Foundation board chair

TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOUNDATION BOARD CHAIR

His name needs no introduction but beyond Ian Frazer’s obvious achievements – most notably his work with the late molecular virologist Jian Zhou led to the development of a vaccine which prevents infection with HPV and cervical cancer – he also has the persuasive touch.

The Scottish-born professor was the founding CEO and director of research for the TRI in Brisbane, and now drives fundraising for medical research through his role on the board and as the University of Queensland Diamantina Institute’s cancer immunology group head.

The 2006 Australian of the Year, he was the 2008 recipient of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science and declared an Australian Living Treasure in 2012. Those are more than titles – they carry clout in the medical research field and beyond. Frazer is also chair of the advisory board for the Medical Research Future Fund.

5. YVETTE D’ATH

Minister for Health and Ambulance Services

Stepping into the role in 2020, Yvette D’Ath continues to steer Queenslanders through the Covid-19 pandemic, taking advice from Dr John Gerrard. She’s fronted the media almost weekly, making her one of the most recognisable faces in the state and has disseminated health information during a tumultuous time.

D’Ath, a former senior industrial advocate for the Australian Workers’ Union, has major issues to sort out in a health system that is failing on many levels, including the crisis of ambulance ramping and the clogging of emergency departments.

6. SHAUN DRUMMOND

Queensland Health acting director-general

He left Queensland Health in 2021 to take on a new challenge at Deloitte, but soon returned to eventually become acting director-general earlier this year, replacing John Wakefield.

Drummond’s appointment by Minister Yvette D’Ath in March as the highest ranking bureaucrat, reporting directly to her, was controversial because it came as he was – and remains – under internal investigation into “suspected corrupt conduct” over a taxpayer-funded defamation lawsuit against a former mental health patient.

Drummond is a health system veteran with 20 years’ experience under his belt and now his new role gives him one of the biggest influences over the department where he is responsible for all of its activities.

He has previously worked in the public health system in NSW and Victoria.

7. MARK BUTLER

Federal Minister for Health

When Labor won the 2022 federal election, Mark Butler was the obvious choice to take on the health portfolio. The South Australian politician had been the shadow minister for health and aged care since January 2021, after moving over from a climate spokesperson role.

Butler was also minister assisting for ageing and Australia’s first minister for mental health in the Gillard government.

Before he was elected to parliament in 2007, he was an official with United Voice for more than 15 years, including 11 as state secretary.

As Australia continues to face massive health challenges, the policies and commitments of Butler’s team cannot help but impact the Queensland sector.

8. CARMEL MONAGHAN

RAMSAY HEALTH CARE CEO

In August, Carmel Monaghan was handpicked to attend Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ National Jobs and Skills Summit, such is the extent of her influence – and Ramsay Health as a peak employer.

Ramsay is a leading private health care operator with 72 hospitals, 60 community pharmacies and more than 30,000 staff.

Monaghan, made CEO for the Australian operation in 2020, was previously group chief of staff for Ramsay’s global operations, through which she gained extensive experience in health care operations and strategy overseas.

Prior to her 20+ years with Ramsay, she was PR and media manager for the Queensland branch of the Australian Medical Association.

Among the hospitals under the Ramsay umbrella are: Caboolture Private; Cairns Private; Greenslopes Private; Hillcrest Rockhampton Private; John Flynn Private (Tugun); Nambour Selangor Private; Noosa Hospital; North West Private (Everton Park); Pindara Private; Southport Private; St Andrew’s Ipswich and Sunshine Coast University Private.

9. DAVID GOW

Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Services chair

With an impressive career spanning the banking, law and finance industries, David Gow is boss of the board responsible for the governance activities of CHQHHS.

The board drives the development of the strategic direction and priorities for the service, monitors compliance and ensures safety and risk-management systems are in place. Implementation of the board’s directions and the day-to-day management of the service fall to the chief executive Frank Tracey and his team.

Gow led Citibank’s corporate client business in South East Asia before returning to Australia in 2008 where he has taken up a raft of non-executive board roles in government and private sector companies including Opera Queensland and UQ Holdings.

10. STEPHEN RASHFORD

Queensland Ambulance Service medical director

This cool-headed physician is Queensland’s most qualified emergency medical responder.

Stephen Rashford was the one called to work with the High Acuity Response Unit crew and other paramedics on the scene of the horrific murders of Hannah Clarke and her three children.

Rashford has been in this leading role with the QAS since 2005. He has overseen significant innovation in paramedic practice and his own work in the field, in which he uses sophisticated resuscitation techniques, has been described as incredibly rare.

11. JIM McGOWAN

Metro North Hospital and Health Service chair

This is the largest of Queensland’s public hospital and health services, and Jim McGowan has been at the helm since 2020.

Previously chair of the South West Hospital and Health Board, he has significant high level public administration experience, specialising in the areas of governance, accountability, service delivery improvement and performance management.

Under his remit – and that of CEO Jackie Hanson – are the Royal Brisbane and Women’s, Caboolture, Redcliffe, Prince Charles and Kilcoy hospitals.

McGowan is a former director-general of the Department of Community Safety, Department of Emergency Services and Department of Justice and Attorney General.

Since 2012, he has held the position of adjunct professor at Griffith University’s school of government and international relations.

He has led the Taskforce on Occupational Violence for Queensland’s Hospital and Health Services which reported in June 2016, and in 2019 was a member of the panel providing advice to the Health Minister regarding Queensland Health’s governance framework.

12. PAUL GRIFFIN

Mater Health Services director of infectious diseases

There’s nothing like a pandemic to demand the input of an infectious diseases expert, and the chaos of Covid has seen Paul Griffin rise to prominence through his influence on decisions made by the state government.

A physician and microbiologist, Griffin is also principal investigator at Q-Pharm, a visiting scientist at Mater Medical Research Institute and Queensland Institute of Medical Research, and a senior lecturer at the University of Queensland. His primary research interests include clinical trials in the field of infectious diseases and the detection of antibiotic resistance.

13. JANINE WALKER

Metro South Hospital and Health Services chair

This service is the major provider of public health in the Brisbane south side, Logan, Redlands and Scenic Rim regions. It employs more than 13,000 staff who provide care to a population of more than 1 million people, or 23 percent of Queensland’s population.

In the job since 2017, Janine Walker has managed crises in the hospitals in her remit, including the Princess Alexandra which was at the centre of Covid outbreaks.

Walker sets the strategic direction for this department of health board, while CEO Peter Bristow, intensive care physician, carries out the day-to-day running of the service.

Other hospitals within the service include Logan, Beaudesert, QEII Jubilee and Redland.

Walker has previously held senior management positions such as HR director for Griffith University and the Princess Alexandra Hospital, director of industrial relations for Queensland Health, and industrial director and general secretary of the Queensland Public Sector Union.

14. FRANK TRACEY

Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service chief executive

With a background in nursing, Frank Tracey has more than 40 years’ experience in health systems.

He runs a network of services through the Queensland Children’s Hospital, Child and Youth Community Health Service, Child and Youth Mental Health Service and statewide services and programs, including specialist outreach and telehealth services.

Tracey is also an adjunct professor at the University of Queensland and his career spans government and non-government roles.

15. IVAN FRKOVIC

Queensland Mental Health commissioner

The commission’s role is to drive ongoing reform towards a more integrated, evidence-based, recovery-oriented mental health, alcohol and other drug service system in Queensland.

Ivan Frkovic was appointed in 2017 and has substantial policy, academic and patient-centred experience, having worked in the mental health system for more than 20 years. With a focus on strengthening partnerships and collaboration, Frkovic oversees delivery and implementation of the body’s strategic plan.

He is also an adjunct associate professor at the University of Queensland’s school of nursing, midwifery and social work.

16. MEREDITH STAIB

Royal Flying Doctor Service CEO

Expanding the healthcare delivered to rural and remote communities, Meredith Staib is improving the well-known aeromedical service.

As Queensland CEO, Staib oversees pilots, doctors, nurses, engineers, allied health professionals and those in support roles. She is also executive director of MediFlite, a fledgling joint venture with LifeFlight, and a board and committee member of the Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service.

She oversees CHQ quality and safety including compliance with state and national standards and advises on the financial position, performance and resource planning strategies of the organisation.

17. PETER STEER

Mater CEO

Peter Steer is the man on the ground at Mater, managing the development and implementation of a business strategy to sustain Mater’s ministries in health, education and research.

Appointed CEO in 2019, Steer brings plenty of healthcare administration experience and clinical expertise to the role. Previously, he was chief executive of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London although he began his medical career at Mater Brisbane in 1982 after graduating from The University of Queensland, and worked at Mater in adults and children’s hospitals until 1987.

After a few years in New Zealand and Canada with further training in neonatology, Steer returned to Mater Mothers’ and Children’s Hospitals in 1991 until 2001. He was involved in the merger of Royal Children’s and Mater Children’s hospitals as CEO of Children’s Health Queensland.

18. IAN LANGDON

Gold Coast Health board chair

With extensive board experience across a range of companies in agribusiness, food production, marketing and health, Ian Langdon presides over the board charged with enhancing decision making about Gold Coast health services.

Reporting to Langdon is CEO Ron Calvert, with the board in turn reporting to the Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, as do all 16 state hospital and health services.

Under the board’s governance are the Gold Coast University, Robina and Varsity Lakes Day hospitals, the Robina and Southport health precincts, and Helensvale and Palm Beach community health centres.

Langdon has also held various academic positions, including associate professor and dean of business at Griffith University (Gold Coast campus).

19. CRAIG CRAWFORD

Minister for Seniors and Disability Services

Raised on a dairy farm in western Victoria, Craig Crawford entered politics after many years defending the workers’ rights and entitlements of paramedics as a union delegate both in Victoria and Queensland.

Crawford was first appointed as Minister for Fire and Emergency Services in 2017. Today his focus is on improving the social and economic wellbeing of Queensland seniors, people with disability and also Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders.

20. FRANCIS SULLIVAN

Mater chair

Experienced health chief Francis Sullivan leads the Mater Misericordiae Limited board and is a member of Mater’s finance and audit committee. So he pretty much runs the accountability and governance of the four prongs of this well-established group: Mater Health, Mater Education, Mater Research and Mater Foundation.

Before taking the top job in 2019, he was CEO at the Truth, Justice and Healing Council and secretary-general of the Australian Medical Association. He also spent 14 years as CEO of Catholic Health Australia, speaking for 73 private and public hospitals and more than 500 aged care services across Australia.

Mater’s board also governs the famous Holy Cross Laundry, a commercial cleaning service for medical, surgical, health and aged care organisations.

21. ROBYN LITTLEWOOD

Health and Wellbeing Queensland CEO

As leader of the state’s first dedicated prevention agency, Robyn Littlewood believes every Queenslander has the right to better health. She advocates for strong public health policy, with more than 25 years’ experience working across paediatric obesity prevention, nutrition and dietetics.

Health and Wellbeing Queensland was established in July 2019, as an independent statutory body within the portfolio of the Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, to improve the health and wellbeing of the population.

Before her appointment, Littlewood was the director of Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service’s research arm and led the first national paediatric dietetics training course in Australia, alongside Dietitians Australia.

22. FABIENNE MACKAY

QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute director and chief executive

Fabienne Mackay is the first woman to head QIMR Berghofer in the Institute’s 77-year history and is a dedicated advocate of gender equity in science.

She is an internationally renowned immunologist with one of her biggest discoveries leading to the approval of the first new therapy for lupus in over 50 years. The professor’s work has also advanced treatment options for patients with arthritis and leukaemia.

Mackay leads a team of 1000 scientists, support staff, and students who pursue the institute’s mission to achieve better health through medical research.

23. STEPHEN DUCKETT

Grattan Institute Health and Aged Care program director

He’s regarded as the go-to person on health policy. Now based in Melbourne, Stephen Duckett has influence in Queensland still, including from the contacts he made during his 2006-2009 tenure in Queensland Health as chief executive of the Centre for Health Improvement.

The professor has held top operational and policy leadership positions in healthcare in Australia and Canada, and is known for being a creative innovator on funding for hospitals and accountability for the safety of hospital care.

An economist, he is a fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.

24. DAVID ROSENGREN

Queensland Health acting chief operating officer

A senior staff specialist in emergency medicine, David Rosengren has more than 20 years of clinical and leadership experience in both public and private hospital emergency departments.

In more recent times he has held a number of senior executive roles in the public hospital setting including the executive director of Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and acting chief operating officer for Metro North Hospital and Health Service.

Rosengren sits on a number of boards including for Health Round Table, Choosing Wisely Australia, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Foundation and the Sony Foundation. He has held representative roles with the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and was chair of the Queensland Clinical Senate from 2012 to 2019.

25. PETER SILBURN

Neurosciences Queensland director

This dedicated neurologist and researcher also leads a world class team at the Queensland Brain Institute at The University of Queensland. The crew has been putting brain stimulation implants into Parkinson’s patients for years and have had great success with OCD patients. The next goal is to help those with anorexia.

He was appointed foundation chair in clinical neurosciences at the University of Queensland in 2007 and has been fundamental in establishing the Asia Pacific Centre for Neuromodulation (APCN) at the University of Queensland where he is a founding board member and lead neurologist.

26. CRAIG BARKE

UnitingCare Queensland CEO

Among its many other community services, such as Blue Care and Lifeline Queensland, this organisation is responsible for some of the state’s leading hospitals: The Wesley and St Andrew’s War Memorial in Brisbane, St Stephen’s in Hervey Bay and Buderim Private on the Sunshine Coast.

Craig Barke, a ​certified ​p​ractising ​a​ccountant, stepped into the CEO role in 2017 after serving as ​board ​chair​ for three years.

He​ is chair of ​​​​Australian Remote and Regional Community Services ​and previously ​CEO of Scenic Rim Regional Council​.

Reporting to Barke is the ​Michael Krieg​, ​hospitals grou​​p ​e​xecutive, ​and individual hospital ​general ​m​anagers Sean Hubbard (Wesley, and previously CEO of the Mater Group’s health division), Mairi McNeill (St Andrew’s, former GM of Brisbane Private Hospital), Shane Mitchell (​a​cting GM Buderim, a former emergency clinician) and Katrina Ryan (St Stephen’s, former GM of Healthscope).

27. TONY MOONEY

Townsville Hospital and Health Service chair

This former mayor of Townsville now leads this important health service that has one of the most geographically dispersed catchments in the state, extending west to Richmond and Hughenden, north to Cardwell, south to Home Hill and east to Magnetic and Palm Islands.

It is also home to Townsville University Hospital, North Queensland’s only tertiary hospital, which supports a referral catchment of almost 700,000 people.

Mooney became chair in 2016 and reporting to him is CEO Kieran Keyes, a James Cook University alumnus who holds a Bachelor of Nursing Science and a Masters of Business Administration.

Mooney is also chair of the Queensland Government’s Resources Community Infrastructure Fund Advisory Committee and director of Tropical Australian Academic Health Centre.

28. MARIA BOULTON

AMA Queensland president

With medical experience spanning more than two decades, Maria Boulton is a straight shooter and an emerging vocal and persuasive force in the health sector.

Running the state’s peak medical body, Boulton represents the interests of around 9000 doctors, specialists, GPs and medical students. She was called on for comment when the state budget unveiled a record $23.6bn spend on health, and said the money was insufficient to fix a broken system.

During the pandemic, Boulton has advocated for key issues such as the safety of healthcare workers and increased funding for mental health support.

29. BRETT EMMERSON

University of Queensland psychiatry professor

Brett Emmerson is a veteran in the area of mental health in Queensland and has been an advocate for improved services. A member of the Queensland Mental Health Review Tribunal, the psychiatrist uses his extensive experience to push for investments in much needed areas of mental health.

He is chair of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Queensland. In previous years Emmerson has been executive director of Metro North Mental Health, covering the mental health services at RBWH, TPCH, Caboolture and Redcliffe Hospital catchments.

He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2017 for significant service to psychiatry and medical administration.

30. MIKE HORAN

Darling Downs Health Service chair

A former health minister in the Borbidge LNP government from 1996-1998, Mike Horan has influence well beyond his current position with the Labor government.

Horan, the Member for Toowoomba South in Queensland parliament from 1991 to 2012, also sits on the board of the Toowoomba Hospital Foundation, and is an appointed representative on the Queensland Hospital and Health Board Chairs’ Forum.

He is a former leader of the National Party, leader of the Opposition and Shadow Attorney-General.

31. STEVE HAMBLETON

Digital Health Agency CRC director

As chief clinical advisor to Australia’s Digital Health Agency, Steve Hambleton has a big national job but he prioritises his ties to his local community. He has worked as a GP at the same surgery for more than 30 years since the day it opened in 1988 and also managed three large general practices in the 1990s.

He also works with the Australian Research Foundation Lung Cancer Screening Centre of Excellence and holds a number of other prestigious titles, making him influential in the world of medicine and beyond.

32. ANDREAS OBERMAIR

Gynaecological oncologist

As well as running his private practice at Spring Hill and being a part-time staff specialist at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Andreas Obermair is director of the Queensland Centre for Gynaecological Cancer Research at the University of Queensland.

A professor of gynaecological oncology since 2007, he is an internationally recognised leader in gynaecological oncology research and treatment.

He also co-founded the Cherish Women’s Cancer Foundation to raise funds for urgently needed research into causes, more effective, kinder and gentler treatments for gynaecological cancer.

33. DINESH PALIPANA

Disability advocate, 2021 Queensland Australian of the Year

An horrific car accident that rendered this promising medical intern a quadriplegic hasn’t stopped Dinesh Palipana from influencing the lives of those around him, and the broader community with respect to disability advocacy and research.

A founding member of Doctors with Disabilities Australia, Palipana works in the emergency department of Gold Coast University Hospital. He is also a senior lecturer at Griffith University, an adjunct research fellow at the Menzies Health Institute of Queensland, and a research fellow at the Jamieson Trauma Institute.

With boundless energy, Palipana is also a doctor for the Gold Coast Titans physical disability rugby team and a senior advisor to the Disability Royal Commission.

34. MATT MASEL

Rural Doctors Association of Queensland president

Providing country doctors with a voice in policy decisions, the RDAQ works to strengthen health services in rural and remote Queensland. Heading the lobby group is Matt Masel, who runs Goondiwindi’s sole general practice with his wife Sue, who is no slouch either as secretary of the Rural Doctors Foundation charity.

Masel studied at the University of Queensland in Brisbane but his interest in rural practice came from the terms he opted to do during medical school. These were located in Goondiwindi, Emerald and Longreach.

He also did a stint at Cape York with the Royal Flying Doctor Service and saw first-hand the challenges people faced with isolation, education and employment.

35. ADRIAN CARSON

Institute for Urban Indigenous Health CEO

Adrian Carson is responsible for implementing the strategic vision of the organisation and overall management of IUIH’s operations.

The IUIH is a community controlled health service that leads the planning, development and delivery of health, family wellbeing and social support services to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of South East Queensland.

Based in Brisbane’s Windsor, it addresses the complexity and fragmented nature of the health system by integrating a range of co-located health and social support services. Through a “no wrong door approach”, entry to any part of the IUIH System of Care opens access to all services and programs.

36. MARK LOANE

Eye surgeon and humanitarian

A rugby great who played 29 tests for the Wallabies in the 1970s and early eighties, Mark Loane gave up the sport to pursue his medical career and, as with his legendary impact on the playing field, he has made an indelible mark.

Loane specialises in cataract surgery and glaucoma treatment and also treats corneal infections and medical retina conditions. He is passionate about indigenous eye health and leads the Cape York Eye Health Project, whose focus is delivering eye health services to remote communities. In 2011 Loane was named a Member of the Order of Australia for his work with remote rural and indigenous people.

He has a private ophthalmology practice at the Vision Eye Institute in Auchenflower and sits on the board of Guide Dogs Queensland.

37. AJAY RANE

Townsville University Hospital director of urogynaecology

A lauded humanitarian and physician, Ajay Rane has shaped the care of women with urinary incontinence and pelvic dysfunction across Queensland and around the world.

The professor has been honoured for his contributions to the medical world, including as a finalist for the Australian of the Year award in 2012 and receiving an Order of Australia in 2013.

Also director of Mater Pelvic Health and Research and head of obstetrics and gynaecology at James Cook University, was named as one of Queensland’s Greats by the Queensland Government in 2021.

38. LIDIA MORAWSKA

QUT School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences distinguished professor

On ​a planet where pollution is escalating, this Polish-born physicist has become an expert on air quality and its impact on human health. So much so that in 2021, she was included in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Morawsk​a is also director of QUT’s International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health​ and​ ​shines a laser focus on atmospheric fine, ultrafine and nanoparticles.

She is co-director of the Australia-China Centre for Air Quality Science and Management, an adjunct professor at the Jinan University in China, and a vice-chancellor fellow at the Global Centre for Clean Air Research in the UK.

39. CLIVE SKAROTT

Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service chair

A highly respected leader, Clive Skarott oversees the running of nine public hospitals (Cairns, Atherton, Innisfail, Mareeba, Tully, Gordonvale and Herberton) as well as 11 primary health sites and nine community health centres.

Working with acting chief executive Jeremy Wellwood, a clinical and laboratory haematologist, Skarott is also a member of the service’s finance, safety and audit committees.

He is chair and director of JCU Dental and a former chair of Ergon Energy and Cairns Port Authority.

40. PAUL YOUNG

University of Queensland Institute for Molecular Bioscience affiliated professor

This Brisbane virologist led the front running team at UQ in the race for a vaccine to stop the deadly Covid-19 virus. While his Covid vaccine trials had to be halted, the professor put his heart and soul into putting Queensland on the world map and saving millions of lives.

Paul Young continues his important work. His studies also are focused on the dengue virus, a serious mosquito-borne disease in many tropical countries, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a major cause of hospitalisation of children with respiratory infections.

41. PAUL BELL

Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service chair

Long-serving board chair Paul Bell is the head honcho looking after Rockhampton, Gladstone, Biloela and Emerald hospitals, with Emma McCahon the service’s CEO.

Bell is also chair of Central Highlands Healthcare Ltd and was a regional from 1985 to 2000.

He has a strong history of board leadership including in the energy, rail, superannuation and community service sectors.

42. DAVID WHITEMAN

QIMR Berghofer Cancer Control group leader

This medical epidemiologist and public health physician is dedicated to fighting skin cancer.

David Whiteman’s pioneering discoveries have resulted in national prevention campaigns and important new clinical guidelines. He led the development of Australia’s sunscreen policy, and his skin cancer risk measurement tools have helped hundreds of thousands of people.

He was awarded a Nuffield Medical Research Fellowship to undertake postdoctoral training at the University of Oxford in cancer epidemiology. He was also deputy director of QIMR Berghofer until 2021.

43. MICHAEL RICE

Rural Doctors Foundation chair

This charity supports rural and remote regions in better accessing lifesaving healthcare and in particular recognises the shortage of professionals in these areas.

GP Michael Rice is passionate about rural medicine. He has been director and partner in the Beaudesert Medical Centre since 1994 and is a senior lecturer at the University of Queensland school of medicine.

Also on the board of RDF is lawyer Rohan McPhee, who grew up in a rural medical family. His father is the legendary Emerald GP Ewen McPhee, a past president of the Australian College of Remote and Rural Medicine and advisor to Queensland Health.

44. GEORGIA CHENEVIX-TRENCH

QIMR Berghofer Cancer Genetics Laboratory head

An international leader in the genetics of breast, ovarian, and other cancers, Georgia Chenevix-Trench is also an honorary professor at the University of Queensland school of medicine.

Her research has discovered dozens of genes associated with breast cancer risk, ultimately leading to better screening, early intervention and new targeted drugs.

The professor has long been a champion of supporting female scientists to combine motherhood and research. She completed her PhD at the Medical College of Virginia in the US and has been funded by the NHMRC Fellowship scheme since establishing her own lab in 1992.

45. CHERYL HERBERT

Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service deputy chair

A trained midwife and nurse, Cheryl Herbert has more than 20 years’ experience as a CEO and leader within not-for-profit and government health and regulatory organisations.

Herbert is a fellow of the Australian College of Nursing and the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a board member of Lives Lived Well Pty Ltd and a director of Guide Dogs Qld Pty Ltd, UnitingCare Qld Pty Ltd and Peachtree Ltd.

She was the founding CEO of the Health Quality and Complaints Commission from 2006 and served as the CEO of Anglicare (formerly St Luke’s Nursing Service) for 10 years.

46. RAJIV KHANNA

QIMR Centre for Immunotherapy and Vaccine Development director

Indian-born Rajiv Khanna has made major breakthroughs in understanding the immune system’s response to viral infections and cancers which have led to cutting-edge new cellular immunotherapies.

These treatments are fighting conditions such as brain cancer, post-transplant infections, and multiple sclerosis with one trial showing such dramatic improvement in patients’ ability to walk it could potentially reverse debilitating MS symptoms. The centre he founded at QIMR Berghofer has been internationally recognised for its excellence in research.

47. JAMES HUDSON

QIMR Berghofer Cardiac Bioengineering Research Group leader

James Hudson has created ground-breaking miniature replicas of beating human heart tissue in the laboratory, uncovering hidden secrets about how the cardiovascular system works.

His discoveries are accelerating development of new drugs giving hope to the more than four million Australians affected by cardiovascular disease. The professor established his own research laboratory in 2014 and moved to QIMR Berghofer in 2018.

48. MATTHEW NANGLE

Australian Dental Association (Qld) president

The ADAQ advocates for the government to support better dental health for all Queenslanders.

Matthew Nangle is a general dentist working in The Avenues private practice in Brisbane’s Ashgrove. He is also a senior lecturer at the UQ school of dentistry where he is the BDSc (Hons) phase 1 program co-ordinator and external engagement co-ordinator. Nangle also holds an honours degree in neuroscience and PhD in biomedical sciences.

He is the oral health lead for the Queensland Multidisciplinary Initiative for Neurocognitive Disorders, with specific interest in links between oral health and dementia, as well as in people with multiple sclerosis.

49. SUDHA RAO

QIMR Berghofer Gene Regulation and Translational Medicine Laboratory group leader

This epigeneticist professor is a pioneer in the fight against Covid-19, discovering a previously unknown way that the virus invades cells.

Sudha Rao is developing treatments that reprogram exhausted immune cells to stimulate them to fight off the virus. Two new Covid-19 drugs she developed, which prevent patients becoming infected, are in advanced trials. Rao has nurtured close partnerships with global technology companies and has attracted competitive NHMRC, ARC and commercial funding to advance her cancer work.

50. GINO PECORARO

Obstetrician

Gino Pecoraro, a former Australian Medical Association Queensland president, is an advocate for female reproductive health. He has won a number of awards for his work in the obstetrics and gynaecological realms.

He’s had stints as a teacher at the RANZ College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, University of Queensland, Bond University and has acted in a mentor and examiner role at the Mater Mothers and RBWH hospitals. He is a senior visiting obstetrician at the Wesley Hospital in Toowong.

51. SARAH MEDLAND

QIMR Berghofer Mental Health Research program co-ordinator

Sarah Medland has made significant advancements in understanding the influence of genetics on the structure and function of the brain. She is a global leader in neuroimaging genetics research, working collaboratively on improving understanding of genetic contributions to mental health.

Medland is also the institute’s group leader of psychiatric genetics. Her research stands to help people suffering psychiatric disorders including ADHD, ASD, bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, and pregnancy related conditions.

52. DAN KENNEDY

Plastic and reconstruction surgeon

Dan Kennedy is regarded as the go-to-guy for cosmetic and plastic surgical procedures including breast reduction, mastopexy (breast lift), facelifting and blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery). His patients include some of Queensland’s most recognised identities.

His practice, Pacific Plastic Surgery Clinic in Fortitude Valley, also provides anti-wrinkle injection therapies and other non-surgical procedures.

Kennedy has also worked as a consultant plastic surgeon at the Mater and St Andrew’s War memorial hospitals.

53. JEANNETTE YOUNG

Governor of Queensland

After a public and controversial stint as the state’s chief health officer, Jeannette Young was appointed to this diplomatic role in 2021 by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who had relied on Young’s advice throughout the Covid crisis.

The extent of the doctor’s influence was at its peak during the first two years of the pandemic but it has decreased since, although Deputy Premier Steven Miles was keen to point out in July that the decision to push ahead with the Wellcamp quarantine facility – now recognised as one of the government’s worst-ever decisions – was made by Young.

During her medical career, Young gained specialist qualifications as a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators. She has received honorary doctorates from two Queensland universities.

54. KARNI LIDDELL

Queensland Public Service Commission Diversity and Inclusion manager

Paralympian Karni Liddell is a force for the rights of people with disabilities, regularly calling out authorities and institutions when she believes they discriminate. Liddell has this role part time and is also a National Disability Insurance Scheme ambassador.

Diagnosed with a neuromuscular wasting disease as an infant, Liddell became an excellent swimmer, at 14 breaking a world record. She won medals at the Paralympic Games in 1996 and 2000.

55. GEOFF McCOLL

University of Queensland Faculty of Medicine executive dean

Prior to joining UQ, Geoff McColl was head of the Melbourne Medical School at the University of Melbourne where he led the development and implementation of the Melbourne MD.

McColl gained his FRACP in rheumatology in 1992 before completing a PhD focusing on rheumatoid arthritis at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in 1996. He is deputy president of the Australian Medical Council.

Working with McColl is psychiatrist Stuart Carney, dean of the UQ med school, who is responsible for the education and research, including the doctor of medicine program.

HOW DID WE DETERMINE THE LISTS?

Firstly, The Courier-Mail senior leadership team engaged the newsroom – reporters on the ground and in the know, those whose job it is to cover these sectors every single day.

The leadership team then used its combined years of experience and extensive contacts to brainstorm more names, adding and culling – all the while consulting with external experts and trusted sources in relevant fields.

We have excluded current executives and editors of News Corp, The Courier-Mail, Foxtel and Fox Sports. That is because News Corp Australia is the publisher of The Courier-Mail, and owns 65 per cent of Foxtel.

We understand that any such list is bound to be subjective, and is by no means exhaustive – but this list is as accurate a one as possible to produce in terms of where things are right now.

It is a unique insight into who calls the shots in Queensland. And as a subscriber it is yours exclusively.

But remember that power is more often than not temporary. Who plays large in 2022 might not be so powerful in 2023. Watch this space.