Nicola Spurrier

{{Short description|Australian paediatrician and public health administrator}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Nicola Spurrier

| image = Nicola Spurrier on SA Police News.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Spurrier speaks on South Australia Police News in 2021

| birth_name = Nicola Jane Smith

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|12|9|df=y}}

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality = Australian

| other_names =

| alma_mater = University of Adelaide

| occupation = paediatrician and public health physician

| years_active =

| known_for =

| notable_works =

| spouse = {{marriage|David Spurrier|1990}}

| children = Three

| awards = Public Service Medal June 2021

| module = {{infobox officeholder |embed=yes

| office = Chief Public Health Officer for South Australia

| term_start = August 2019

| term_end =

| predecessor = Paddy Phillips

| successor =

}}

Nicola Jane Spurrier (born 9 December 1966) is an Australian paediatrician and public health physician who has been the Chief Public Health Officer of South Australia since August 2019.

Education

Spurrier graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Adelaide in 1990.{{cite web|url=https://agedcare.royalcommission.gov.au/system/files/2020-08/RCD.9999.0430.0001.pdf|title=Nicola Spurrier}} She has a Graduate Diploma in Epidemiology from the University of Newcastle (1997) and completed a PhD from Adelaide University in 1999, with a thesis titled Parental management of children's asthma:the role of psychosocial factors.

Career

Spurrier worked at the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide from 1993 until 1999, before becoming a lecturer in Paediatrics and Child Health at Flinders University and consultant paediatrician at Flinders Medical Centre.{{cite web|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/who-are-the-experts-behind-australia-s-coronavirus-response|title=Who are the experts behind Australia's coronavirus response?|publisher=SBS News|date=19 April 2020|first=Claudia|last=Farhart|access-date=15 March 2021}} In 2011, the university awarded her the status of associate professor and in April 2020, professor. She is qualified as a specialist in both public health and paediatrics.{{cite web|url=https://researchnow.flinders.edu.au/en/persons/nicola-spurrier-2|publisher=Flinders University|title=Professor Nicola Spurrier}}

Spurrier has worked for SA Health for nearly thirty years, developing and implementing programs and policies focused on child health, obesity prevention and Aboriginal health. She is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine.

Spurrier became Chief Public Health Officer for South Australia in August 2019. Four months later, she was involved in the state's response to bushfires. From March 2020, Spurrier led South Australia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, giving daily press conferences alongside Premier Steven Marshall in which she was called "calm, honest and direct".{{cite web|url=https://www.portpirierecorder.com.au/story/6955317/revealed-meet-sas-nominees-for-2021-australian-of-the-year/|title=Meet South Australia's 16 nominees for the 2021 Australian of the Year Awards|work=Port Pirie Recorder|date=6 October 2020|access-date=15 March 2021}} She became popular with the public and had a cocktail named after her at Adelaide bar 2KW.{{cite web|url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/sa-premier-steven-marshall-is-riding-a-covid19-popular-wave-can-he-hold-on/news-story/767824b3da3a8a45d3710d7b7039a050|work=The Australian|title=SA tastes freedom under Marshall law|first=David|last=Penberthy|date=24 September 2020|access-date=15 March 2021}} Despite her "cult following", she ruled out a move into politics.{{cite web|url=https://indaily.com.au/news/politics/2021/03/01/minister-pondering-new-environment-as-boothby-contenders-circle/|title=Minister pondering new environment as Boothby contenders circle|date=1 March 2021|access-date=15 March 2021|work=InDaily|first=Tom|last=Richardson}}

Awards and recognition

Spurrier was one of four nominees for 2021 South Australian of the Year.{{cite web|url=https://indaily.com.au/news/local/2020/10/06/spurrier-nominated-for-sa-australian-of-the-year/|title=Spurrier nominated for SA Australian of the Year|work=InDaily|date=6 October 2020|access-date=15 March 2021}} She was awarded a Public Service Medal in the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours for outstanding public service to community health in South Australia.{{cite journal|url=https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2021/214/111/queens-birthday-honorees|title=Queen's Birthday honorees|first=Cate|last=Swanell|journal=Medical Journal of Australia|date=14 June 2021|volume=214 |issue=111 |access-date=17 June 2021}}

In September 2022, a newly discovered species of bacteria was named Nicolia spurrieriana in recognition of Spurrier's work during the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite news | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-13/bacterium-named-after-professor-nicola-spurrier/101432658 | title=Researchers spurred by COVID strategy name new bug after chief health officer Nicola Spurrier | newspaper=ABC News | date=13 September 2022 }}

Personal life

Spurrier has been married to David Spurrier, a physiotherapist, for thirty years and they have a daughter and two sons.{{cite web|url=https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/lifestyle/sa-weekend/sa-weekend-inside-story-how-nicola-spurrier-became-the-face-of-south-australias-resistance-to-the-covid19-crisis/news-story/1e453b9db187e0d3cf8df475c7a4ec33|title=SA Weekend inside story: How Nicola Spurrier became the face of South Australia's resistance to the COVID-19 crisis|first=Penelope|last=Debelle|date=29 May 2020|access-date=15 March 2021|work=The Advertiser|url-access=subscription}}{{cite web|url=https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/coronavirus/sa-chief-public-health-officer-professor-nicola-spurrier-says-coronavirus-not-going-away-in-foreseeable-future/news-story/66786f2a8bf84da919be9e349ea0b5a6|url-access=subscription|title=Popular top doc rules out career in politics|first=Andrew|last=Hough|work=The Advertiser|date=31 July 2020|access-date=15 March 2021}} Her mother, sister, and brother in law are all also doctors.{{cite web|url=https://www.flinders.edu.au/giving/our-donors/family-giving-back|title=The family that gives back|publisher=Flinders University|date=2020}}

Selected publications

=Book=

{{cite book|title=Screening For Good Health: The Australian Guide To Health Screening And Immunisation|first1=Kerry|last1=Kirke|first2=Nicola|last2=Spurrier|first3=Martin|last3=Bray|publisher=Melbourne University Publishing|date=2009|isbn=9780522859331|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zHN4zEQPVocC}}