Rate My Professor Kelvin Kong

Professor Kelvin Kong AM, a proud Worimi man, serves as Professor and Conjoint Professor in the School of Medicine and Public Health within the College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing at the University of Newcastle. He earned his Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from the University of New South Wales, and was awarded honorary Doctor of Medicine degrees by both UNSW in 2024 and the University of Newcastle in 2021. As Australia's first Aboriginal Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, he practices as a consultant otolaryngology, head and neck surgeon at Hunter New England Health, maintains a private practice at Hunter ENT, and leads a research team at the Hunter Medical Research Institute. Additionally, he mentors students at the university and serves on the board of the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence.

Kong's research interests encompass otorhinolaryngology, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child health and wellbeing, health policy, and community-based research, with 25% allocation to each. He focuses on combating the world's highest rates of chronic otitis media and hearing loss among Indigenous children, investigating pathogens like Alloiococcus otitidis for pathogenicity and antibiotic resistance, telehealth interventions, genomic surveillance, iron modulation for infections, and quality-of-life assessments. His prolific publication record includes over 63 journal articles, such as "Surgery for paediatric OSA" (Journal of Sleep Research, 2011), "The building blocks of a professional response to Indigenous injury" (Injury, 2008), "Philanthropy, Our Way: Growing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led philanthropy in higher education that is culturally responsive and impactful for communities" (2026), and recent contributions to BMC Health Services Research (2026) and Medical Journal of Australia (2025). Kong's impactful career features extensive awards, including Member of the Order of Australia (2024), National NAIDOC Person of the Year (2023), John Conley MD Lecture Medal Medical Ethics from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (2024), Australian Society for Medical Research Medallist (2021), Menzies Medallion (2020), and Newcastle Citizen of the Year (2021). Through initiatives like the Care for Kids' Ears campaign since 2011, outreach to remote communities, and advocacy for Indigenous health policy, he significantly influences equitable healthcare access, educational outcomes, and professional pathways in medicine.