Professor Ross McKinnon

Strategic Professor in Cancer Research & Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor

College of Medicine and Public Health

+61 8 72218494

ross.mckinnon@flinders.edu.au

Health Sciences (3.41)

GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia

Welcome to my homepage. I am currently Beat Cancer Professorial Chair in the College of Medicine and Public Health. I was previously Foundation Director of the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute and Dean (Research). A former Flinders School of Medicine PhD graduate, I joined Flinders as Inaugural Director of the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer in 2011 after 16 years with UniSA. At UniSA, I was the Inaugural Director of the Sansom Institute (2005-2009) and Associate Head (Research) of the School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences. An academic pharmacist, I have broad research interests in the pharmacology, pharmaceutical biotechnology and molecular oncology areas. I am a co-inventor of patents relating to cancer chemoprevention (PharmaQest) and the discovery of novel anti-inflammatory compounds. I am a Board Member of Therapeutic Innovation Australia and the Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation. I am a former Vice-President of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), which represents more than three million pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Scientists globally. I was elected to the position of Chair, FIP Board of Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2020.

Qualifications

B Pharm (SAIT)
B Sc (Hons) (Flinders)
PhD (Flinders)

Honours, awards and grants

Current Grants

McKinnon RA. Beat Cancer Professor (Cancer Council SA/ SA Health) 2018-2022

Meech R, McKinnon RA, Mackenzie PI, Hu DG, Karapetis CS. UGT enzymes in chemotherapeutic drug metabolism: new avenues to improve drug response and overcome resistance. NHMRC Project Grant. 2018-2020

Watson D, Karapetis C, Young G, Ratcliffe J, Woodman R, Koczwara B, Symonds E, Reed R, Fraser R, McKinnon R. Improving gastrointestinal cancer outcomes: prevention, treatment and survivorship. Beat Cancer Translational Package. 2018-2020

Awards/Honours

2020 Chair, FIP Board of Pharmaceutical Sciences

2017 Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor

2016 Fellow, Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences

2016: Barrie L. Reed Distinguished Lecturer, Monash University

2016: Vice-President, International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) (Elected for second term)

2014: Fellow, International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP)

2014: Chair, FIP Pharmaceutical Sciences World Congress 2014

2012: Vice-President, International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP)

2011: APSA Medallist

2011: AusBiotech Millis Orator

2010: CSIRO Flagship Fellow

2010: National Facilitator, DIISR Translating Health Discovery Into Clinical Applications SuperScience Project

2008: UniSA Chancellor's Community Engagement Award in collaboration with Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation.

2004-2008: President, Australasian Pharmaceutical Science Association

2001: Fellow, Governor's Leadership Foundation (Leaders Institute of South Australia)

2000: Australian Institute of Political Science Tall Poppy Award

1993: NHMRC C.J. Martin Fellowship

1990: ASCEPT Neville Percy Prize

1988: Flinders University Medal, Peter Meffin Prize, Chancellor's Merit List, Dean's Merit List

1985: Beecham Research Laboratories Mastermind of Australian Hospital Pharmacy (State and National Winner)

1982: SAIT School of Pharmacy: Lipsham Memorial Award, Parke Davis Prize, Sir Eric Scott Prize

Key responsibilities

Beat Cancer Professorial Chair (Cancer Council/SA Health)

Teaching interests

Drug discovery and development (Biotechnology)
Pharmacology
Cancer therapeutics
Research

Supervisory interests

Cancer treatment

Clinical pharmacology

Drug discovery

Drug metabolising enzymes, cytochrome P450 and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase

Mutagenesis/carcinogenesis, molecular basis of mutation

Pharmaceutical biotechnology and natural product drug discovery

Pharmaceuticals

Higher degree by research supervision

Current

Principal supervisor: Pharmacy (2)

Associate supervisor: Biochemistry (1), Pharmacy (1), Medicinal chemistry (UniSA) (1), Oncology (2), Cancer prevention (2), Pharmacology (1)

Completion

Principal supervisor: Exotoxicology (UniSA) (4), Carcinogenesis (UniSA) (2), Pharmacy (UniSA) (1), Medicinal Chemistry (UniSA) (1), Cancer prevention (UniSA) (2), Oncology (Flinders) (1), Pharmacology (UniSA) (3)

Associate supervisor: Cancer prevention (UniSA) (1), Autism (UniSA) (1), Biochemistry (UniSA) (1), Ecotoxicology (UniSA) (2), Drug Discovery (UniSA) (2), Genetics (UniSA) (1), Pharmacology (4)

Higher degree by research student achievements

Michael Ward

APSA Oral Prize -

Michael Ward

APSA Poster Award -

Bradley Simpson

Finalist, Channel 9 Young Achiever Awards - DEC 2009

Sasja Beetstra

Sansom Medal - DEC 2009

Michael Sorich

Tall Poppy Award - DEC 2009

Phil Gregory

Tall Poppy Award - DEC 2009

Michael Sorich

PE Biosystems Prize in Drug Metabolism, Delivery and Pharmacokinetics - DEC 2001

Michael Sorich

APSA Young Investigator Award - DEC 2003

Mafalda Dias

ASCEPT Pharmacogenomics Prize - DEC 2012

Michael Sorich

NHMRC CJ Martin Fellowship -

Bradley Simpson

NHMRC Early Career Fellowship -

Bradley Simpson

Tall Poppy Award - AUG 2014

Professional engagement

Chair-Elect, Board of Pharmaceutical Sciences, International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP)
Board Member, Therapeutic Innovation Australia
Chair, Avner Foundation Scientific Advisory Panel
Member, International Society of the Study of Xenobiotics Scientific Advisory Committee
Member, Editorial Board of The Pharmacogenomics Journal

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