Professor Atlas AM is one of only eight West Australians on this year's Honours List to receive this distinguished honour.
Professor Atlas is one of only eight West Australians appointed as a Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday 2022 Honours List and joins a group of inspirational Australians making a difference across a wide range of industries and communities.
As a distinguished surgeon-scientist, Professor Atlas has dedicated his career to helping people with ear and hearing disorders and is recognised locally and internationally as a leader in hearing research, innovation and education.
A former West Australian of the Year Finalist and West Australian Finalist for Australian of the Year, Professor Atlas is the driving force behind Ear Science Institute Australia, which is recognised as a world-leading centre of excellence in ear and hearing research, education and treatment.
“This recognition is very humbling for me, but it’s not just the recognition of me as a person; it’s a fantastic recognition of Ear Science Institute Australia, and the way it has set the course for a health change in our community” stated Professor Atlas.
“Twenty years ago, I began the journey of Ear Science, making hearing a focal point for our local community. We needed to bring world-class research and surgery to the people of West Australia. Fast forward 20 years, I am grateful to the entire Ear Science team for committing to research programs that improve our understanding of ear and hearing health. It puts us firmly at the forefront of internationally recognised research, providing world-leading education and shining a light on the importance of untreated hearing loss in our community, all from Perth in Western Australia”, said Professor Atlas
Professor Atlas AM joins fellow Trustees of Ear Science Insititute Australia, John Schaffer AM and George Jones AM, with Queen’s Birthday Honours. Together, they established the Gift of Hearing Appeal, which has raised over $12.5m in cash and in-kind over the last 12 years and provided countless individuals with the Gift of Hearing.
Some of the Institute’s significant milestones include:
- Pioneering indigenous hearing research in 2001 led to clinical work commencing in the East Pilbara in 2014.
- Opening the Tissue Engineering Lab in 2003 progressed the revolutionary work on ClearDrum – a new treatment for tympanic membrane perforations.
- In 2019 HearCog, a clinical trial, commenced discovering if we can reduce cognitive decline by treating hearing loss with hearing aids.
- Channel 7 Telethon Trust 2021 beneficiary for world-leading research in chemotherapy-induced hearing loss, Usher Syndrome and chronic otitis media.
- National winner for Championing Health in Australia at the Telstra Business Awards 2022.
Governor-designate, Commissioner Chris Dawson APM will formally invest Professor Atlas and fellow Western Australian recipients with the insignia of their appointments and awards at an Investiture Ceremony in September.
