Graeme John Stewart (born 1946[1]) is an Australian consultant physician, medical researcher in the field of immunology, and a community health advocate.
His career has encompassed conducting research into the genetic contributions to auto-immune diseases, setting up and running medical organizations, in addition to his academic role.
[10] Later that year, he attended an international AIDS conference in Stockholm, and realized the need for a professional body in Australia which specialized in the field.
[13] In 1996 he published a seven-part series for general practitioners in The Medical journal of Australia on "Managing HIV", aiming to disseminate the most important lessons learned to date.
[14][15][12] In 1996, aware that people around the world who get infected with HIV will not receive the benefits of advanced medical treatment, he published a set of guidelines to show how each country can work with its limited health resources to provide the best possible care.
[20] It is a progressive disease, where the patient's own immune system attacks and destroys the myelin insulation covering nerves, which means they are less able to conduct signals, causing paralysis and distorted sensation (typically pain, numbness, and pins & needles).
[21][22] A combination of genetic and environmental factors have long been suspected to contribute to which people develop MS, but it has proven to be very difficult to identify the exact causes.
In 1998, Stewart wrote about a Scottish court case where the family of an MS sufferer attempted to blame it on a traffic accident.
[5] His philosophy was that "clinical care is best delivered with teaching, training and research.”[31] The IIAR was one of the Westmead Millennium Institute's four founding research groups.
[32] In 2000, Stewart was appointed to a Clinical Council which oversaw the implementation of the state government's $2 billion program of health reforms.
[7] When the COVID-19 pandemic spread, Stewart wrote for newspapers and spoke on radio shows to educate the public about the disease, its management, and vaccination.
[36] He had a recurring half-hour segment on ABC Radio's afternoon show,[37][38] and he repeated the same themes in medical journals, giving a broader perspective to General Practitioners.
[40] In 2004, he was selected to join the expert panel evaluating charges that well-known immunologist Bruce Hall had acquired research grants on the basis of falsified results, and subsequent controversy about how the new vice chancellor handled the case.
[44] In the 2002 Queen's Birthday honours, Stewart was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in recognition of his "service to the development of health policy and medical education about HIV and AIDS, to medicine in the field of immunology, and to research on the genetics of multiple sclerosis".