Thursday 1st May 2025
Hosted by the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
The Woodward Centre
The University of Melbourne
The late Professor John Hopper made a prolific and immeasurable contribution to global health as an internationally renowned genetic epidemiologist. An innovative researcher, educator, mentor, academic and leader, he impacted the lives of millions.
His population health research advanced the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of diseases and conditions, particularly breast and colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma, childhood cancer and asthma.
A group of eminent researchers, scientists, academics and community leaders from around Australia and the world came together for Professor Hopper’s Festschrift in Memoriam that was held in-person and online at the University of Melbourne on 1st May 2025. Through a series of presentations, speakers celebrated the remarkable contributions spanning 50 years of this giant of the research world as a colleague, collaborator and friend.
We hope these presentations will inspire current and future researchers to continue to build on his incredible body of work. He shone a light on the future for us, and we now all proudly step forward to continue his legacy.
| Segment | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| A word from John | John’s research purpose, in his own words, from 2019. “Can it, does it, make a difference? Are you saving lives?” | Watch here |
| Shared photos | John’s colleagues share favourite images of him. | Watch here |
| Presenter 1 | Prof Sant-Rayn Pasricha: John’s legacy at the University of Melbourne (over 50 years of service). | Watch here |
| Presenter 2 | Prof Graham Giles: From the 1980s and beyond. Graham describes his collaborations with John in cancer research, including cohort, longitudinal and family studies. | Watch here |
| Presenter 3 | Prof John Mathews: A shared passion. John’s contribution to twin research and Twins Research Australia. | Watch here |
| Presenter 4 | Prof Melissa Southey: The 1990s. Cancer genetics and family studies. | Watch here |
| Presenter 5 | Prof Roger Milne: Cancer Council Victoria. Perspectives on John’s legacy. | Watch here |
| Presenter 6 | Prof Mark Jenkins: John’s contribution to colorectal cancer research and his mentorship impact. | Watch here |
| Presenter 7 | Prof Shyamali Dharmage: An inspirational collaborator. John’s contribution to the Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study. | Watch here |
| Presenter 8 | Kiersten Pilatti: John’s pioneering support of consumer representation in breast cancer research. | Watch here |
| Presenter 9 | Prof Doug Easton: The genetic epidemiological study of breast cancer. A global perspective. | Watch here |
| Presenter 10 | Prof Mary Beth Terry: International breast cancer collaborations, including the Breast Cancer Family Registry. | Watch here |
| Presenter 11 | Prof Wendy Cozen: International twin research collaborations. | Watch here |
| Presenter 12 | Prof Joohon Sung: Korean/Australian collaborations in mammogram-based and mammographic density research. | Watch here |
| Presenter 13 | Prof Antonis Antoniou: International collaborations in breast cancer risk modelling. | Watch here |
| Presenter 14 | A/Prof Helen Frazer: AI based measures of breast cancer risk. | Watch here |
| Presenter 15 | A/Prof Shuai Li: Advancing Genetic epidemiology in population health research. Building on John’s legacy into the future. | Watch here |
| Closing | Closing remarks by Prof Graham Giles. | Watch here |
