The University of Sydney Medical School has awarded the 2023 Ruthven Blackburn Medal to Professor David Le Couteur AO FAHMS.

The 2023 award was jointly awarded to Professor David Le Couteur AO FAHMS, ANZAC Research Institute and Professor Carol Pollock AO FAHMS, Northern Clinical School and Northern Sydney Local Health District.

The medal is awarded every second year to a senior staff member of the Sydney Medical School in recognition of a sustained, distinguished and notable contribution to clinical research, and of a demonstrated commitment to mentoring junior colleagues.

Professor Le Couteur is co-leader of the Biogerontology Research Group at the ANZAC Research Institute, Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Sydney, and Senior Staff Specialist Physician in Geriatric Medicine at the Concord Repatriation General Hospital. He has over 450 publications which have been cited over 31,000 times (H index 83). He has been awarded 26 Australian NHMRC, ARC, and MRFF research grants (more than $27 million continuous funding over 26 years), and has supervised 32 postgraduate research students.

Professor Le Couteur’s research has focused on the epidemiology, pharmacology, therapeutics, and clinical research of aging. He is a world-renowned expert in the field of geriatric medicine, and has made significant contributions to our understanding of the aging process and the development of new treatments for age-related diseases. Professor Le Couteur is also a passionate mentor to junior researchers, and has played a key role in training the next generation of geriatricians.