Dr Robert Gillies

2021 Early Career College Recipient, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences

Dr Robert Gillies is a qualified medical doctor, social enterprise founder, and passionate advocate on issues of homelessness, international poverty-reduction and adolescent mental health.

Having completed numerous degrees including a Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at JCU, he is employed at the Alfred Hospital where he is completing a Fellowship with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, to become a specialist Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist.

In addition to his professional qualifications and achievements, at just 31 years of age, Dr Gillies has devoted himself to social enterprises that improve the lives of our most vulnerable citizens. He has co-founded a number of charities, each one working to improve overall societal health and wellbeing, particularly for marginalised groups such as those experiencing homelessness and mental illness. Perhaps most notably, he is a Co-Founder and the current Deputy Chairperson of Conscious Creative Limited, which operates the HoMie social enterprise, and previously operated the Charity Tap franchise. Before founding Conscious Creative, Dr Gillies established other charities that have assisted people experiencing social disadvantage in rural Australia and South East Asian communities.

Dr Gillies truly is a role model for all young Australians wanting to make the world a better place, and he hopes to continue making a difference for young people experiencing mental illness as a psychiatrist and social enterprise leader into the future.

Dr Gillies graduated James Cook University in 2016 with a Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine with Distinction.