Outstanding alumni 2026

James Cook University recognised seven outstanding alumni at a ceremony on Friday 28 August at the Bebegu Yumba Campus in Townsville.

JCU Vice Chancellor Professor Simon Biggs said the awards remind staff and students of the tremendous impact they can have and how the university can help them achieve their goals.

“We’re a regional university, but our aim is to give people a view of and experience of the wider world and to show them the huge contribution they can make if they develop their talents and interests here,” Professor Biggs said.

He said this year’s outstanding alumni include a top-rated GP and community advocate, an influential environmentalist, and the head of a program that has successfully provided a pathway for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to become teachers.

“Time and time again, we hear how JCU’s focus on connection to communities, serving communities and making a difference in many different types of communities inspired and encouraged our graduates to do outstanding work.

“We are proud to have been a part of their journey and hope they inspire others and help show them what is possible, just as much as they inspire us who are working here at JCU.”

Professor (Dr) Brad Murphy OAM runs a medical practice in Bundaberg and is renowned for his significant contributions to First Nations health, veteran care, advocacy and medical education.

“I’d been a Navy medic after I joined at 15, and then an intensive care paramedic, before enrolling in the first cohort of medical students taught at JCU.

“To actually go to a school that was focused on rural, remote, Indigenous and tropical health was just amazing. JCU was not just an education in academia, but an experience and adventure,” Professor Murphy said.

The 2026 recipients also include distinguished Australian public health leader, clinician, researcher and educator Professor Robyn Littlewood, CEO of Health and Wellbeing Queensland; one of JCU’s first PhD students and now noted environmentalist Dr Hugh Lavery AM; research scientist Dr Samantha Munroe; remote community veterinarian Dr Madeleine Kelso BVSc; and Allied Health Educator and Research Lead for Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, Dr Jodi Sariman.

Gail Mitchell, State Program Coordinator for the Remote Area Teacher Program (RATEP), will also be recognised. She says a recruitment drive in the 1970s to encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to become teachers led to her current role.

“My diploma in teaching at JCU led to placements in remote communities and helped cement that I was studying the right course.

“I’ve found the impact of RATEP in all of the communities has elevated the lives of many. We’re now seeing the next generation of people come through and that means better lives for everyone in the communities.”

Full list of recipients

• Chancellor’s Distinguished Award – celebrates alumni who demonstrate distinguished and significant excellence in their career, industry or community.
  Professor (Dr) Brad Murphy OAM – Practice Principal, Ashfield Country Practice.
• Chancellor’s Distinguished Award – Professor Robyn Littlewood – CEO, Health and Wellbeing Queensland.
• Vice Chancellor’s Distinguished Award – celebrates alumni who demonstrate distinguished and significant excellence in their career, industry or community.
  Dr Hugh J. Lavery AM – Environmental scientist.
• Rising Star Award – celebrates the extraordinary accomplishments of younger alumni and what they have achieved during their shorter career span. Nominees must be 39 years or younger at the time of nomination.
  Dr Samantha Munroe – Research scientist.
• Outstanding Indigenous Alumni Award – celebrates an exceptional graduate of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent who demonstrates outstanding achievement in their chosen field and/or has made outstanding contributions to the community.
  Ms Gail Mitchell – State Program Coordinator, RATEP.
• Spirit of JCU Award – recognises alumni living or working predominantly (more than 50 per cent of the time) in remote or very remote locations across Australia or comparable demographics internationally.
  Dr Madeleine Kelso BVSc – Regional Manager Veterinarian and Animal Control, East Arnhem Regional Council.
• Trailblazer Award – recognises alumni who are forward-thinking leaders, innovators or entrepreneurs in their industry, profession, field of research or area of expertise.
  Dr Jodi Sariman – Allied Health Educator and Research Lead – Advanced Social Worker.