Rob Norman, founder of Robinson institute in Adelaide in 2009, titan of research/ideas for reproductive medicine
The Robinson Research Institute, founded in Adelaide by professor Rob Norman in 2009, was consistently ranked as No.1 institute in Australia in paediatrics and reproductive health while he was its first director.
Image courtesy University of Adelaide
Professor Rob Norman, founder of the Robinson Research Institute in Adelaide in 2009, was a major research contributor in IVF (in vitro fertilisation) and reproductive endocrinology.
United Kingdom-born, Norman's early years in India were followed with a move to then-Rhodesia, Africa, where his father was a medical practitioner. He went to medical school in Salisbury (later Harare), then a Birmingham University college. A top student in his year, Norman graduated with honours from Birmingham University.
Norman completed training in obstetrics and gynaecology in Harare Hospital maternity unit, gaining fellowship of the UK College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology four years later. He trained with professor Hugh Philpott inventor of the partogram, widely used for monitoring labour. Moving to South Africa, Norman completed his higher doctorate and qualified in chemical pathology with a subspecialty in endocrine biochemistry and became a fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists.
After a year in the United Kingdom on research at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, under professors Tim Chard and Michael Besser, Norman moved to Adelaide University as senior lecturer in obstetrics and gynaecology in1988 and then professor of reproductive medicine. During early days of in vitro fertilisation, he was involved in many big innovations for managing fertility including intra cytoplasmic sperm injection, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, lifestyle programmes and many drugs.
Norman led the university reproductive medicine unit Repromed, among the world’s leaders, that donated close to $30 million to the university research in reproduction. In 2009, Norman founded the Robinson Research Institute, with 450 researchers in preconception, pregnancy, neonatal life and paediatrics. While Norman was inaugural director, the federal government consistently ranked the institute No.1 in Australia in paediatrics and reproductive health.
From 2013-18, Norman was medical director of Fertility SA clinic while remaining professor of reproductive and periconceptual medicine. He became co director of the National Health and Medical Research Council's centre of research excellence in polycystic ovary syndrome with close friend professor Helena Teede and was chief investigator on two NHMRC project grants. He published 500 peer-reviewed papers, with more than 42,000 citations.
A fellows of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences in Australia, Norman, in 2013, was awarded the American Society of Reproductive Medicine's distinguished researcher award and the Order of Australia. He was named scientist of the year as well as leading physician and scientist in South Australia in 2009.
Adelaide University conferred his honorary doctorate of medicine in 2015. He was also awarded the inaugural Ricardo Azziz distinguished researcher award in 2015 by the international Androgen Excess-PCOS society. In 2017, he was made a life member of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology and, in 2018, received the lifetime achievement award from the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction.
Norman served on the NHMRC’s research committee (2009-2014) that dispersed more than $4 billion of federal research funds across all disciplines of medical research. Norman was president of the Asian equivalent of the American Society for Reproductive Medicince between 2012 and 2014. He was a mentor and trainer of many medical and scientific trainees and fellows.
