Congratulations to infectious diseases clinician-researcher Professor Asha Bowen, awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the King’s Birthday Honours List for her service to medicine in the field of clinical diseases.
Driven by a passion to help all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids achieve healthy skin, Professor Bowen has spent the past 15 years of her career looking at ways to prevent many of the downstream consequences of skin infections.
“Your skin is the largest organ of your body and if Strep A bacteria get into the body through things like skin sores, it can contribute to sepsis and to a lot of bone and joint infections. It also contributes to rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease,” Professor Bowen said.
“This is entirely preventable if you treat Strep A infections early, so having healthy skin is an opportunity for a lot of preventative health care that often gets missed.”
Professor Bowen is head of the Healthy Skin and Acute Rheumatic Fever Prevention team at The Kids and is Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Perth Children’s Hospital. This uniquely positions her for rapid translation of research results from bush to bench to bedside and beyond, with global impacts.
Professor Bowen is also the lead investigator for the SToP Trial to “see, treat and prevent” skin infections throughout the Kimberley region in Western Australia, as well as the Koolungar Moorditj Healthy Skin project understanding the burden of skin infections among urban-living Aboriginal children in WA.
In addition, Professor Bowen leads the paediatric arm of the Staphylococcus aureus Network Adaptive Platform (SNAP) Trial aiming to improve treatment outcomes for patients with S. aureus bloodstream infections, and – along with her team - has recently launched the second edition of the National Healthy Skin Guideline to guide clinicians in the recognition and evidence-based treatment of skin infections.
During the COVID pandemic, Professor Bowen was a lead investigator of the WA DETECT-Schools study and chair of the Australasian COVID-19 Trial (ASCOT) global steering committee.
Professor Bowen said it was a delightful surprise to be recognised and included amongst such wonderful Australians who make a difference every day.
“For many years, I have loved reading the Honours list, looking out for people I knew, and sending them a message of congratulations,” Professor Bowen said. “To be included amongst them is a real privilege, and I am grateful to those who have nominated me for this.”
For Professor Bowen, this honour also represents the vital contributions made by everyone involved in her research including Aboriginal co-investigators, organisations, health workers and communities.
Professor Catherine Elliott, Director of Research at The Kids, said Professor Bowen was an exceptional researcher and very deserving of the King’s Birthday honour.
“Professor Bowen’s work, straddling both clinical care and research, is making a big difference especially to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and communities,” Professor Elliott said.