Rate My Professor Bruce Armstrong

Professor Bruce Armstrong AM FAA AC is Emeritus Professor in the Sydney School of Public Health within the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney. He earned his Bachelor of Medical Science with Honours (BMedSc Hons) and Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery with Honours (MBBS Hons) from the University of Western Australia in 1967 and 1969, respectively, followed by a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) from the University of Oxford in 1975. Armstrong is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP), the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine (FAFPHM), and the Australian Academy of Science (FAA). His distinguished career includes serving as Professor of Public Health and Head of the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney from 2002 to 2013, Director of Cancer Research and Registers Division at the Cancer Council New South Wales from 1996 to 2002, Commissioner of Health for Western Australia from 1988 to 1990, Deputy Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer from 1991 to 1993, and Director of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare from 1994 to 1996. Earlier roles encompassed leadership positions at the University of Western Australia, including Director of the NHMRC Research Unit in Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine from 1979 to 1988.

Armstrong's research specializations center on cancer epidemiology, with pioneering contributions to understanding the causes and prevention of skin cancer and melanoma through establishing the critical link between sun exposure and these diseases. He has made significant advancements in the epidemiology of other cancers, high blood pressure, and heart disease, authoring nearly 400 scientific publications and presenting extensively at national and international conferences. His influence extends to public health policy and administration, including advocacy for national cancer screening programs in Australia, chairmanship of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia from 2015 to 2021, membership on National Health and Medical Research Council committees, and advisory roles with the New South Wales Department of Health. Major honors include the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1998 for services to medicine through cancer epidemiology research, the Centenary Medal in 2001, the New South Wales Premier's Outstanding Cancer Research of the Year Award in 2006, and the Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in 2026 for eminent service to medical research, environmental and genetic cancer epidemiology, screening service development, academia, and public health administration. He also holds positions as Senior Adviser at the Sax Institute and Honorary Epidemiologist with the Cancer Council New South Wales.