Australian of the Year honoured with key to the city

Australian of the Year for 2017 Emeritus Professor Alan Mackay-Sim has received another accolade, the Key to the City, from Sunshine Coast Council for his lifetime of dedicated research and international leadership.

Professor McKay-Sim's pioneering research has helped provide a positive future for thousands of people with spinal cord injuries – in Australia and overseas.

The Currumundi resident accepted the key at today’s council meeting at Caloundra and spoke of his love for the Sunshine Coast.

“This is indeed a great honour,” Professor Mackay-Sim said.

“We have owned a beach house on the Sunshine Coast for almost 30 years. It was an automatic decision to move here permanently when I retired a couple of years ago.

“I love the outdoor lifestyle and the people here are genuinely more friendly and open than elsewhere.

“I can ride a bike for pretty much all my shopping and everything else is a short ride by car. Perfect every day!”

Professor Mackay-Sim led the world's first clinical trial using nasal cells in treating spinal cord injuries and his research helped play a central role in the world's first successful restoration of mobility for a quadriplegic person.

Mayor Mark Jamieson said that without Professor Mackay-Sim’s work, many new breakthroughs in medical science may not be possible.

“We are very proud to have Professor Mackay-Sim as part of our Sunshine Coast community and I’m delighted we have been able to honour him in this way today,” Mayor Jamieson said.

“Every day, thanks to people such as our Australian of the Year, the Sunshine Coast is demonstrating that it is healthy, smart and creative.

“It’s through outstanding contributors like Professor Mackay-Sim that our reputation is growing across Australia and in international circles.

“The acknowledgement of Professor Mackay-Sim’s work also shows young Sunshine Coast residents the endless opportunities available by pursuing a career in health and medical research.

“We thank him for his service to our community and wish him all the best as he continues to give hope to thousands of Australians with spinal cord injuries.”

A global authority on the human sense of smell and the biology of nasal cells, Professor Mackay-Sim led the world’s first clinical trial using these cells in spinal cord injury.

In 2014, his research helped play a central role in proving the safety of science that was a precursor to a doctor in Poland undertaking the first successful restoration of mobility in a quadriplegic man.

As the director of the National Centre for Adult Stem Cell Research for a decade, Professor Mackay-Sim’s research has championed the use of stem cells to understand the biological bases of brain disorders and diseases such as schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease and Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia.

This pioneering work has led to collaborations with teams of health professionals who are translating his research into clinical practice.

“I cannot think of a greater honour than to be named 2017 Australian of the Year,” Professor Mackay-Sim said.

“It is of course a wonderful accolade for me and my teams of researchers and collaborators over the years, but I also take it as a recognition of science and scientists and their contribution to our society and community.

“I believe science and scientific research are as important as health and defence for the future of our nation.

“Our country and our world is facing many challenges – from climate change to the diseases of old age, from new epidemics to the need for new medicines, from the disruptive technologies to the loss of livelihoods of many whose work is lost or displaced by new technologies.

“As a society we must solve these challenges.

“New scientific discoveries and new technologies will be a major part of that.”