Rate My Professor Nicholas Saunders

Emeritus Professor Nicholas Saunders is affiliated with the School of Medicine and Public Health in the College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing at the University of Newcastle. He holds an MD from the University of Sydney and an honorary LLD from Monash University. Saunders completed his schooling at Newington College from 1959 to 1962 and graduated in medicine from the University of Sydney. He undertook specialist physician training at Royal North Shore Hospital and practiced as a specialist in respiratory and sleep medicine at Royal Newcastle Hospital and John Hunter Hospital from 1990 to 1992, serving concurrently as Chair of the Department of Medicine.

A foundation member of the University of Newcastle Faculty of Medicine in 1978, Saunders was appointed Professor of Medicine in 1983. He later served as Head of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Dean of the School of Medicine at Flinders University from 1993 to 1998, and as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University from 1998 to 2003. From 2004 to 2011, he was Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Newcastle, leading the institution through financial restructuring that included over 400 staff position cuts, achieving a top 10 Australian research ranking, record student enrolments of 35,998, and leadership in higher education access for disadvantaged groups. His distinguished service earned the Centenary Medal in 2001 for leadership in medicine and education at Monash University and the Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2012 for contributions to medicine and higher education via administration, clinical roles, and national organizations. Subsequently, he was Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Bond University and part-time Chief Commissioner of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency. Key publications include 'Evaluation of a Microprocessor-Based Portable Home Monitoring Device for the Diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome' (Sleep, 1987) and 'Night-to-Night Variability of Disturbed Breathing During Sleep in an Elderly Community Sample'.