Professor Mike Daube, Director of Curtin University’s Public Health Advocacy Institute, has been presented the 2012 Luther L. Terry Distinguished Career Award at the 15th World Conference on Tobacco or Health held in Singapore last week.
The Luther L. Terry Awards, presented triennially since 2000, recognise outstanding worldwide achievement in the field of tobacco control and are considered the ‘Oscar’ of public health campaigning.
The awards honour the late United States Surgeon General Luther L. Terry, whose groundbreaking work established the foundation for public health scrutiny of the dangers of tobacco use.
Professor Mike Daube has been a leader in tobacco control and public health for four decades. He has been recognised in numerous tobacco industry reports and internal documents since the 1970s as one of their most powerful and articulate opponents globally. Through his creativity, leadership, persistence and commitment to comprehensive policies, he continues to contribute to saving millions of lives around the world.
Curtin’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Jeanette Hacket said Professor Daube’s life passion has been to improve the public health of people across the world by eliminating the acceptance of smoking, and dedicating more than 40 years’ of his life to stamping out the life-threatening habit.
“Public perceptions of smoking and its health risks have completely turned around in the last 40 years. This huge shift in awareness is largely due to Professor Mike Daube’s persistent campaigning,” Professor Hacket said.
“He has been a strong advocate for and supporter of Curtin’s decision to make our WA campuses smoke free from this year.”
As the first full-time Director of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) in the United Kingdom, he pioneered many tobacco advocacy strategies, establishing ASH as a model for tobacco control groups around the world.
In Australia, he has led innovative mass media programs and successful campaigns for action including advertising bans, stronger health warnings and protection of non-smokers.
Professor Daube has chaired many key governmen and non-government committees at a national and international level, including the organising committee for the Perth World Conference on Tobacco and the Australian Government’s Expert Committee on Tobacco, which recently recommended a comprehensive approach including plain packaging legislation. He is also the current President of the Australian Council on Smoking and Health.
Contact:
Kristy Jones, Public Relations, Curtin University
Tel: 08 9266 1930, Mobile: 0402 517 300, Email: k.jones@curtin.edu.au
Web: http://curtin.edu.au
