Associate Dean - Research

Professor Wakefield took up the position of Associate Dean (Research) in November 2007.

Professor Wakefield is a graduate of the University of New South Wales, where he received First Class Honours and the University Medal for Medicine in 1976. He was awarded a Doctor of Medicine at UNSW in 1984 for research in inflammatory eye disease.

Professor Wakefield initially trained in internal medicine in Sydney before taking up specialty training in immunology at St Vincent’s Hospital. After completing fellowships in internal medicine and pathology, he completed his doctorate studies on immunological mechanisms in inflammatory eye disease.

Professor Wakefield joined the Faculty of Medicine, UNSW in 1983, and in 1989 was a Visiting Scientist at the Department of Medical Microbiology, Turku University, Turku, Finland and in 1990 was a Visiting Scientist at the National Eye Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.

Professor Wakefield was promoted to Associate Professor in 1985, before being awarded a personal chair in Pathology in 1994. An ongoing interest in medical education led to his appointment to Sub-Dean for Teaching and Curriculum in 1996. In 2001 he was appointed Head of the School of Medical Sciences. During his time in the School Professor Wakefield's responsibilities included the design and implementation of a new curriculum in medical sciences, establishment of a teaching research unit, introduction of web based interactive teaching, modernisation of the Museum of Human Disease, and the development of community and school student education programs.

Professor Wakefield’s major interests are in immune mechanisms in inflammatory eye disease. He is also interested in the role of cytokines in the pathogenesis of diseases including neurological disorders and chronic fatigue syndrome. He has received continuous NH&MRC research grant support since 1982 and has over 200 scientific publications.