Burnet Director, Professor Brendan Crabb, has appointed outstanding public health professionals – Associate Professor Stanley Luchters and Professor Robert Power – as the new leadership team to take over its Centre for International Health (CIH).

Professor Mike Toole AM has stepped down after 17 years at the helm of the Centre for International Health after overseeing an extraordinary period of growth in staff and programs.

As a Deputy Director of the Institute Mike’s ongoing focus will be to develop institute-wide strategies for Burnet’s international work.

Professor Crabb said the change of leadership marked an important new phase for the Centre and the Institute.

“I warmly welcome Stanley and Robert to their new role and know that they will make a significant contribution in leading the future development and success of our international work,” he said.

“I would also like to thank and acknowledge on behalf of the Institute, Mike’s extraordinary leadership over the past 17 years of CIH.

“During that time the Centre grew 30-fold from just five staff members to more than 150 and that has directly impacted on Burnet’s contribution to improving the health of those in need.”

Associate Professor Luchters, a trained medical doctor with extensive health experience in resource-constrained settings, joined the Institute in early 2012. He has excelled in a range of roles since arriving at Burnet including as Principal for Sexual and Reproductive Health; Manager Research and Technical Operations; and Team Leader, Women’s and Children’s Health. He holds honorary academic positions at the School of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University (Adjunct Associate Professor), University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa (Visiting Professor) and Ghent University, Belgium (Visiting Professor).

Professor Power is a social scientist and Burnet Principal for Alcohol, Other Drugs and Harm Reduction, and holds academic positions at the University of Melbourne and Monash University. He is currently Technical Director on major AusAID and USAID bilaterals in the Indonesia, as well as Program Director for AusAID’s Tibet Health program, and recently completed seven years a Technical Director of UKAID’s main regional HIV prevention program in Central Asia.

Professor Power has worked in the field of HIV prevention and social behavioural research since 1985, with several posts within Medical Schools in the University of London. His main focus has been on community-level interventions for injecting drug use and in reducing the spread of HIV infection. He has previously headed Burnet’s Centre for Harm Reduction before its merger with CIH in 2009.