Janice Reid


Janice Clare Reid is an Australian academic and medical anthropologist, who has specialised in Aboriginal and refugee health. She was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western Sydney from 1998 to 2013.

Early life and education

Reid was born in Brighton, South Australia on 19 September 1947. She was educated at the Presbyterian Girls College and then completed a BSc at the University of Adelaide. She later completed an MA and PhD at Stanford University, USA.

Career

Reid began her career as research assistant at the Australian Mineral Development Laboratories in Adelaide and tutor in the Department of Geology at her alma mater, the University of Adelaide. In 1968–1969 she worked as a high school teacher in Papua New Guinea. She spent 1971 and 1972 in the USA at Stanford University as teaching assistant and graduate research assistant, while gaining her PhD. Returning to Australian in 1974 Reid worked first as research officer in the Department of Community Medicine at the University of New South Wales and later as program coordinator at the same university.
In 1978 she moved to the University of Sydney, as lecturer in the Department of Behavioural and Genetic Studies. A year later she was promoted within the university to Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. In 1987 Reid was appointed Foundation Head of the School of Community Health, at University of Sydney.
While Pro Vice-Chancellor at the University of Queensland Reid was member of a number of National Health and Medical Research Council Standing Committees.
On her retirement from the position of Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western Sydney in December 2013, Reid was made an Emeritus Professor in recognition of her distinguished service to the University, with its 40,000 students and more than 3000 staff.
From April 2015 to December 2016 Reid was a member of the Code of Review Committee, which was appointed to provide expert advice on revisions to the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, a document co-written by NHMRC, the Australian Research Council and Universities Australia and produce a draft Guide on investigating and managing potential breaches of the Code.
In 2017 Reid and Dr Rhonda Hawkins AM conducted a review of the University Council of Macquarie University and made a number of recommendations to improve its efficiency, including introducing fixed terms and term limits and reducing the size of the Council.

Awards and recognition