David Durrheim

Durrheim was born in East London, South Africa, the son of Noel Carl and Iris May (née Sheasby). He graduated from Newcastle Senior High School, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa in 1980 as dux scholar and deputy school captain. Durrheim attended the University of Pretoria and completed a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery in 1986. He married Jenny (nee Ansell) in 1985. They have two children, Joanne (b. 1991) and Jonty (b.1993). After registrar training in neurology at the Ga-Rankuwa Hospital, South Africa, he relocated to London as a visiting Registrar in Public Health Medicine at St George's Medical School while based at Croydon District Health Authority (1992-1993).

On his return to South Africa, he completed a post-graduate Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene through the University of the Witwatersrand in 1994, a post-graduate Diploma in Community Health through the University of Pretoria in 1995, Masters of Public Health and Tropical Medicine through James Cook University in 1998 and Doctor of Public Health through James Cook University in 2002.

With Nelson Mandela’s inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa, Dr Durrheim was recruited to the new position of Consultant in Communicable Disease Control for Mpumalanga Province where he served from 1994 to 2001. He established a district-based infectious disease syndromic surveillance and response programme, which proved highly effective in limiting the impact of cholera and invasive meningococcal disease, while meeting global benchmarks in acute flaccid paralysis reporting and reassuring zero-reporting rates.{{Cite journal |last1=Durrheim |first1=D. N. |last2=Harris |first2=B. N. |last3=Speare |first3=R. |last4=Billinghurst |first4=K. |date=2001 |title=The use of hospital-based nurses for the surveillance of potential disease outbreaks. |url=https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/268238 |journal=Bulletin of the World Health Organization |language=en |volume=79 |issue=1 |pages=22–27 |issn=0042-9686 |pmid=11217663|pmc=2566333 }} He also introduced confidential inquiries for all malaria, cholera and rabies deaths to identify and address health system weaknesses.{{Cite journal |last1=Dürrheim |first1=D. N. |last2=Frieremans |first2=S. |last3=Kruger |first3=P. |last4=Mabuza |first4=A. |last5=de Bruyn |first5=J. C. |date=1999 |title=Confidential inquiry into malaria deaths. |url=https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/267816 |journal=Bulletin of the World Health Organization |language=en |volume=77 |issue=3 |pages=263–266 |issn=0042-9686 |pmid=10212518|pmc=2557624 }}

The district-based communicable disease control coordinator model proved highly effective in delivering a supplementary measles vaccination campaign, in fact analysis conducted by Durrheim during a doctoral placement at the University of Oxford demonstrated that well planned and conducted campaigns could preferentially reach zero-dose children in rural African settings.{{Cite journal |last=Uzicanin |first=A. |date=2002-10-01 |title=Impact of the 1996-1997 supplementary measles vaccination campaigns in South Africa |url=https://academic.oup.com/ije/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/ije/31.5.968 |journal=International Journal of Epidemiology |volume=31 |issue=5 |pages=968–976 |doi=10.1093/ije/31.5.968|pmid=12435769 }}

Innovative work by African doctoral students supervised by Durrheim, demonstrated the value of multi-faceted pharmacovigilance during the community introduction of antimalarial treatment,{{Cite journal |last1=Mehta |first1=Ushma |last2=Durrheim |first2=David |last3=Mabuza |first3=Aaron |last4=Blumberg |first4=Lucille |last5=Allen |first5=Elizabeth |last6=Barnes |first6=Karen I. |date=2007-10-01 |title=Malaria Pharmacovigilance in Africa |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00002018-200730100-00008 |journal=Drug Safety |language=en |volume=30 |issue=10 |pages=899–910 |doi=10.2165/00002018-200730100-00008 |pmid=17867727 |issn=1179-1942|url-access=subscription }} the role of geographical information systems for efficiently targeting malaria control programmes{{Cite journal |last1=Booman |first1=Marlize |last2=Sharp |first2=Brian L. |last3=Martin |first3=Carrin L. |last4=Manjate |first4=Bonifacio |last5=la Grange |first5=Jacobus J. |last6=Durrheim |first6=David N. |date=2003-06-06 |title=Enhancing malaria control using a computerised management system in southern Africa |journal=Malaria Journal |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=13 |doi=10.1186/1475-2875-2-13 |doi-access=free |issn=1475-2875 |pmc=161823 |pmid=12816547}} and exploiting a unique colony of Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes, naturally breeding in a remote pristine wilderness area, for eliciting behavioural characteristics amenable to measures to reduce personal malaria risk.{{Cite journal |last1=Govere |first1=J. |last2=Braack |first2=L. E. O. |last3=Durrheim |first3=D. N. |last4=Hunt |first4=R. H. |last5=Coetzee |first5=M. |date=2001 |title=Repellent effects on Anopheles arabiensis biting humans in Kruger Park, South Africa |url=https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.0269-283x.2001.00309.x?sid=nlm%3Apubmed |journal=Medical and Veterinary Entomology |language=en |volume=15 |issue=3 |pages=287–292 |doi=10.1046/j.0269-283x.2001.00309.x |pmid=11583446 |issn=1365-2915|url-access=subscription }}

From 2002-2004 he was Head of the School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, Director of the Anton Breinl Centre for Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and Director of the World Health Organization Collaborative Centre for Vector-borne and Neglected Tropical Diseases at James Cook University, Townsville, Australia.{{cite web |title=WHOCC for Vector-borne and Neglected Tropical Diseases - About the WHOCC for Vector-borne and Neglected Tropical Diseases |url=https://www.jcu.edu.au/whocc-for-vector-borne-and-neglected-tropical-diseases/about#:~:text=James%20Cook%20University%20is%20proud%20to%20host%20two,Capacity%20Building%20%28WHOCC%20No.%20AUS-98%29%2C%20established%20in%202010 |website=www.jcu.edu.au |access-date=29 January 2025 |language=en-AU |date=29 May 2020}}

During this period he piloted an adapted version of the southern African syndromic surveillance system successfully in partnership with the Tuvalu Department of Health.{{Cite web |title=Trove - Archived webpage |url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20060815062528/http:/pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/59916/20060815-0000/www.jcu.edu.au/school/sphtm/documents/tom/TuvaluOutbreakManual.pdf |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=Trove |language=en}} In March 2010 this syndromic surveillance system was successfully expanded across all Pacific Island Countries and Areas (PICs) to meet the requirements of International Health Regulations.{{Cite journal |last1=Kool |first1=Jacob L. |last2=Paterson |first2=Beverley |last3=Pavlin |first3=Boris I. |last4=Durrheim |first4=David |last5=Musto |first5=Jennie |last6=Kolbe |first6=Anthony |title=Pacific-wide simplified syndromic surveillance for early warning of outbreaks |journal=Global Public Health |date=2012-08-01 |volume=7 |issue=7 |pages=670–681 |doi=10.1080/17441692.2012.699536 |pmid=22823595 |pmc=3419547 |issn=1744-1692}}

From 2009 and until 2012, Durrheim served as member of the Strategic Advisory Groups of Experts Strategic Advisory Group of Experts(SAGE) on Immunisation advising the Director-General of the World Health Organization.{{cite web |title=FORMER SAGE MEMBERS |url=https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/immunization/sage/general/former_sage_members.pdf?sfvrsn=dd69dc52_9 |website=WHO |access-date=29 January 2025}} He also served on multiple SAGE working groups including: Vaccination in humanitarian emergencies;{{Cite web |title=Vaccination in Humanitarian Emergencies (June 2011 to January 2014) |url=https://www.who.int/groups/strategic-advisory-group-of-experts-on-immunization/working-groups/vaccination-in-humanitarian-emergencies-(june-2011-to-january-2014) |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=www.who.int |language=en}} meningococcal vaccines;{{Cite web |title=Meningococcal vaccines (March 2010 to November 2011) |url=https://www.who.int/groups/strategic-advisory-group-of-experts-on-immunization/working-groups/meningococcal-vaccines-(march-2010-to-november-2011) |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=www.who.int |language=en}} measles and rubella vaccines;{{Cite web |title=Measles and rubella |url=https://www.who.int/groups/strategic-advisory-group-of-experts-on-immunization/working-groups/measles-and-rubella |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=www.who.int |language=en}} Ebola vaccine and vaccination;{{Cite web |title=Ebola vaccines |url=https://www.who.int/groups/strategic-advisory-group-of-experts-on-immunization/working-groups/ebola |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=www.who.int |language=en}} and COVID-19 vaccines. {{Cite web |title=Covid-19 vaccines |url=https://www.who.int/groups/strategic-advisory-group-of-experts-on-immunization/working-groups/covid-19 |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=www.who.int |language=en}}

Durrheim and two of his doctoral scholars established Australia’s longest running One Health Network in 2005.{{Cite journal |last1=Thompson |first1=Kirrilly |last2=Taylor |first2=Joanne |last3=Massey |first3=Peter D. |last4=Durrheim |first4=David N. |date=2024-01-11 |title=Members' experiences and perceptions of participating in an Australian Regional One Health Network |journal=One Health Outlook |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=2 |doi=10.1186/s42522-023-00093-2 |doi-access=free |issn=2524-4655 |pmc=10782705 |pmid=38212856}} He and his team have continued to innovate with crowd-sourced syndrome surveillance, most notably in tracking influenza-like illness in multiple countries{{Cite journal |last1=Dalton |first1=Craig |last2=Carlson |first2=Sandra |last3=Butler |first3=Michelle |last4=Cassano |first4=Daniel |last5=Clarke |first5=Stephen |last6=Fejsa |first6=John |last7=Durrheim |first7=David |date=2017-08-17 |title=Insights From Flutracking: Thirteen Tips to Growing a Web-Based Participatory Surveillance System |url=https://publichealth.jmir.org/2017/3/e48/ |journal=JMIR Public Health and Surveillance |language=EN |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=e7333 |doi=10.2196/publichealth.7333|doi-access=free |pmid=28818817 |pmc=5579323 }} and adverse events following immunisation.{{Cite journal |last1=Cashman |first1=Patrick |last2=Macartney |first2=Kristine |last3=Khandaker |first3=Gulam |last4=King |first4=Catherine |last5=Gold |first5=Michael |last6=Durrheim |first6=David N. |date=2017-05-01 |title=Participant-centred active surveillance of adverse events following immunisation: a narrative review |url=https://academic.oup.com/inthealth/article/9/3/164/3861041 |journal=International Health |language=en |volume=9 |issue=3 |pages=164–176 |doi=10.1093/inthealth/ihx019 |issn=1876-3413 |pmc=5881255 |pmid=28582563}}

Community research conducted by his team in the wake of the 2007 New South Wales storms led to the recommendation that all states and territories have formal arrangements with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) for provision of emergency health information during disasters.{{Cite journal |last=Cretikos |first=Michelle A. |last2=Merritt |first2=Tony D. |last3=Main |first3=Kelly |last4=Eastwood |first4=Keith |last5=Winn |first5=Linda |last6=Moran |first6=Lucille |last7=Durrheim |first7=David N. |date=2007-12-03 |title=Mitigating the health impacts of a natural disaster — the June 2007 long-weekend storm in the Hunter region of New South Wales |url=https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2007/187/11/mitigating-health-impacts-natural-disaster-june-2007-long-weekend-storm-hunter |journal=Medical Journal of Australia |volume=187 |issue=11 |issn=0025-729X}}

Early morning on 20 October 2014, Durrheim suffered a catastrophic cardiac arrest, while cross country running, as a result of a widow-maker. He was clinically dead for some time before a walker discovered his lifeless body and called for help. An emergency physician, Dr Mark Miller. responded and provided chest-only compressions for nearly 20 minutes before Dr Durrheim was retrieved by Ambulance to an intensive care unit. “Mark was God’s hands on my chest that morning. I am eternally grateful.” he said {{Cite web |title=Professor David Durrhiem – Hunter Heart Safe |url=https://hunterheartsafe.com/professor-david-durrhiem/ |access-date=2025-03-22 |language=en-AU}} Imaging of his brain showed multiple areas of ischaemia (strokes) especially, in the brainstem which is critical to survival. Four days later, after a global rallying of prayer, his brain MRI was completely normal and he made a full recovery with no detectable neuropsychological deficit.{{Cite AV media |url=https://vimeo.com/760659812?msockid=2594413ef451601c3b9252ddf58761f7&turnstile=0.dz1ntnVPrpmPELWetnS2ho4jrkLqvgq8PocMgpfavnht3AkY_hBSkwIMZHcwSggPgxgm1Czzm0h72BCGFt9H5LsZfHRZZ3ILPT269PbAQw_LkcMfA4yGOzMH6twZYferUL2R90Ir7z5GMvhO_P2mCf9YVRZbO4Nx5JM4NcuVvy1I7YoL4p_V1G0Vr6RxYuKNMkWEKxIAHa-nJSAQ7dhVXDy44Ss_X_EM81EjNOisM8SvWLtn5OQannidGUelQBB4GSbXCCjeTGPbGu2rfsmiWU8Dt6PSH-Xi-nnrsOKZqoZaPEx_jRNquwXKtHTbZyhgEeed7Tm9KQpxprC7bVzBTdibDehjqIur1d4PrNL45yencMvO2zpKLbfKcILmBX9H4MSFG19aOv6AQRD5pLj8y2w23j12XHagpWL6gdobagZORsGtVkrkKgrVGFL4IsglW3cZ-ncB3ugYGl4NDWyUaLyg5vRpuLHcS85qx_JHTr273cUkGTkbFYKN2BdxgaW8lIJel15oP_9dhWLrVcoGp1fJn2KjmusIjDFh6R9-q4O7YNal3g_EiiluWd8POuwCK1HdOQTNg7U02Kuq2jC2RL0vQRrhD5jBCS4mY-DjINs7uAZasb8ypwH8dOAuNKrBvIKUsQKh0uH19wdWC2RwqnsU2dEQNunx6LkZgPOv4D1Kg3jcjHIFhSqZdXLLsACs6WbX8tCXlFmk22RFM8ksG-pp-oqkYPPx7JlREdCYD2Sg4fdnTZJnXqiIj0GDZ6hLxfC3mPuZwvrERBrd9XRq0ts4BjbNfJbIXcCacIONLpz0K_Keacqkpr81QjupzM-TXuuzz7tnFo7ajWv3CFnC-KCYshxgv5nNuvjyHaNU_JU.91r5Mr1rDLysXDVrGv473A.8ddb0d063eb04a9f356c2ae8febdb4214464b6b96c59488e71d4ded13e300035 |title=Charlestown Uniting Church - Mens Breakfast with Dr David Durrheim speaking - including question time |date=2022-10-15 |last=Reconnect |first=Project |access-date=2025-03-22 |via=Vimeo}}

He has co-authored over 450 scientific publications.{{cite web |title=David Durrheim |url=https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9236-4861 |website=orcid.org |publisher=ORCID}} Most recently his team at the University of Newcastle received a $7.5 million grant to strengthen field epidemiology capacity, surveillance and outbreak response in Pacific Island countries.{{Cite web |date=2024-06-06 |title=News & Stories - HMRI |url=https://hmri.org.au/news-stories/ |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=hmri.org.au |language=en-AU}}

• 2024: Freeman of the City of Lake Macquarie{{Cite web |title=Durrheim awarded Freeman of the City |url=https://www.lakemac.com.au/News-articles/Durrheim-awarded-Freeman-of-the-City |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=www.lakemac.com.au |language=en-AU}}
• 2022: Ambassador of Lake Macquarie{{Cite web |title=Dr David Durrheim named Lake Mac Ambassador for 2022 |url=https://www.lakemac.com.au/News-articles/Dr-David-Durrheim-named-Lake-Mac-Ambassador-for-2022-at-gala-awards-ceremonyDr-David-Durrheim-named-Lake-Mac-Ambassador-for-2022-at-gala-awards-ceremony |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=www.lakemac.com.au |language=en-AU}}
• 2021: Appointed as a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia (General Division) for service to public health medicine and international health{{Cite web |last=Thompson |first=Rod |date=2021-06-13 |title=Hunter 'heroes' honoured on Queen's Birthday List |url=https://newcastleweekly.com.au/hunter-heroes-honoured-on-queens-birthday-list/ |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=Newcastle Weekly |language=en-AU}}
• 2021: The Queen's Birthday COVID-19 honour roll{{Cite web |title=Queen's Birthday 2021 COVID-19 Honours Roll |url=https://www.gg.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-09/QB21%20-%20COVID-19%20Honour%20Roll.pdf}}
• 2018: Elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences{{Cite web |last=pih368 |date=2018-10-12 |title=Two researchers awarded prestigious Fellowship |url=https://www.newcastle.edu.au/newsroom/featured/two-researchers-awarded-prestigious-fellowship |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=The University of Newcastle, Australia |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Anonymous |date=2018-10-15 |title=Professor David Durrheim - AAHMS |url=https://aahms.org/fellowship/professor-david-durrheim/ |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=aahms.org |language=en-AU}}
• 2011: James Cook University Outstanding Alumni Award{{Cite web |date=2020-04-26 |title=Professor David Durrheim - Outstanding Alumni Awards |url=https://www.jcu.edu.au/outstanding-alumni/search/alumni/2011/professor-david-durrheim |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=www.jcu.edu.au |language=en-AU}}

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Category:Living people

Category:Australian public health doctors

Category:Members of the Order of Australia

Category:University of Pretoria alumni

Category:James Cook University alumni

Category:Academic staff of the University of Newcastle (Australia)

Category:Academic staff of James Cook University

Category:People from East London, South Africa

Category:South African emigrants to Australia

Category:Fellows of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences

Category:21st-century Australian medical doctors

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)