Global health crusader and Griffith University graduate, Professor Qiyong Liu, has been named the 2019 Alumnus of the Year at the Australia China Alumni Awards (ACAA) in Beijing.
Professor Liu won the award in recognition of his remarkable achievements and sustained successes in public health, and particularly working with poor and vulnerable communities.
Professor Qiyong Liu
“I was involved in several important events, such as the Southeast Asian tsunami,” he recalled.
“My responsibility was to make assessments in the tsunami affected area to see if there was a risk for some specific vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue.
“If we can establish health risks early, we can predict trends and take-action before the outbreak of disease, which has an enormous benefit to the local community.”
Highly successful in his field, Professor Liu is the Chief Scientist for Health and Climate Change China and is the Director of Shandong University Center for Climate Change and Health.
He also facilitates ongoing research affiliations between Griffith University and the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
Winner of Griffith University’s 2018 Outstanding International Alumnus Award and university ambassador, Professor Liu attributes his success to the research skills he learnt at Griffith.
“The University contributed to my success in research and taught me the importance of communicating with different people to work more efficiently,” he said.
“A multicultural and inclusive society is very good for research, particularly in different social settings.”
Professor Liu is passionate about educating the next generation of scientists and investing in public health resources.
“I think I have a responsibility to teach what I have learned, to empower the young scientists to work together more effectively and efficiently,” he said.
“We would be wise to invest in public health resources, so we can improve the effectiveness of efficiency of disease control and save people’s lives.”
Guo Haijun accepting Qiyong Liu’s award
His global reputation has seen him travel to Mongolia, Tibet and South East Asia and countries affected by natural disaster.
In fact, Professor Liu was unable to attend the awards ceremony due to being called to Africa to assist with an emergency.
Fellow Griffith alumnus, Mr Guo Haijun, accepted the award on Professor Liu’s behalf.
In its 11th year, the ACAA awards were established with the support of the Australian Ambassador to China, to celebrate the incredible achievements of China-based Australian university alumni and to showcase the impact and excellence of Australian education.
Further Griffith representation on the evening included Mr Yuchao Wang, a finalist in the Austrade Entrepreneurship and Innovation awards category.
Learn more about Professor Qiyong Liu’s research online.
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