WSU professor, Constance Katelaris, among Queen’s Birthday honorees

Professor Constance Katelaris has called out politicians for allergy and immunology funding after being made a member of the Order of Australia.

Professor Constance Katelaris has been made a member of the Order of Australia. Picture: Robert Pozo

• Lifelong volunteer, 89, honoured on Queen’s Birthday
• Veteran’s advocate awarded OAM

Professor Constance Katelaris has dedicated her life to medicine and has risen up the ranks to become one of Australia’s foremost experts in immunology and allergy.

It is for that work that Prof Katelaris was made a member (AM) of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday honours List.

The Epping resident heads Campbelltown Hospital’s immunology and allergy unit and is a professor of immunology and allergy at Western Sydney University.

For the past 10 years she has been the convener of the annual Macarthur Series in Immunology, a seminar for specialists and trainees.

Prof Katelaris is an expert in Immunology and Allergies. Picture: Robert Pozo

Prof Katelaris’ said she was ‘proud’ to be named in the Queen’s Birthday honours list but it’s when asked about what needs to be done to support health services in the local area that her passion ignites.

“Simply put, we need more funding... the world is in the middle of an allergy epidemic and Australia is no different,” she said.

“Allergies are not always at the forefront of people’s thoughts, it sounds like a terrible thing to say but it’s not as dramatic as cancer so there is not the same attention paid to it.

“We need more nursing staff, we have a great new building coming at Campbelltown Hospital but it needs to be staffed properly.”

Prof Katelaris said the large number of children requiring treatment for allergies meant more attention needed to be paid to paediatric services in Campbelltown and south west Sydney.

“A lot of the patients we treat are children,” she said.

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“Campbelltown is an area with a lot of young families and a generally lower socio- economic demographic meaning both parents are typically working.

“I think an increased focus on paediatric services in the region is required.”

Prof Katelaris’ work has not just been restricted to Australia.

In 2006-2007 she was the secretary-general of the World Allergy Organisation where she also served as treasurer between 1997 and 2005 and was president of the Asian Pacific Association of Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology between 2010 and 2013.