Professor Frank Oberklaid AM

For more than four decades, Professor Frank Oberklaid AM has been one of Australia’s most influential advocates for children’s health, development and wellbeing. A developmental paediatrician, researcher, educator and policy leader, his career has been defined by a simple but powerful belief: that every child deserves the opportunity to thrive.

Early Career

Born to Polish refugee parents who arrived in Australia after the Second World War, Frank Oberklaid grew up in Melbourne and attended University High School before studying medicine at the University of Melbourne. It was during his 10 week undergraduate term at the Royal Children’s Hospital that he developed a passion for paediatrics and a growing interest in the factors that shape children’s development beyond the walls of the hospital.

Frank did his intern year at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and then was a JRMO at RCH. He then took what we understand these days to be a ‘gap year,’ during which time he and Fay travelled extensively, and spent a few months living in London where he completed a Diploma of Child Health, and  earned modest amounts of pocket money from occasional sessions at Australia House doing physical exams on adults wanting to migrate to Australia. He returned to Australia to a registrar position, and was a member of the famed RCH football team which played inter hospital football. After passing his FRACP, he published his first papers with David Danks during a part time position for a few months before he went overseas.

 Frank then spent the next 4 years in Boston and the Children’s Hospital and Harvard University, where was fortunate to work with paediatric luminaries including Mel Levine, TB Brazelton, Leon Eisenberg and Bob Haggerty.  Exposure to emerging fields of developmental and behavioural paediatrics profoundly influenced his thinking, highlighting the importance of family, community and early childhood experiences in determining lifelong health and wellbeing.

He returned to Melbourne in 1980 determined to challenge traditional models of paediatric care.  At a time when hospitals were largely focused on treating illness, Frank championed a broader vision: supporting children’s health long before they reached a hospital ward. His belief that many childhood problems could be prevented through earlier intervention led to the development of innovative community and ambulatory paediatric services and, ultimately, a new way of thinking about child health.

Transforming Child Health

As Foundation Director of the Centre for Community Child Health at the Royal Children’s Hospital, a role he held for more than 25 years, Frank helped establish the Centre as a national and international leader in child development, prevention, policy and research. Under his leadership, the Centre forged strong links between clinical care, research, education and government policy, ensuring that evidence translated into meaningful outcomes for children and families.

Frank’s influence extends far beyond the hospital. As a researcher he continues this work as Co-Group Leader of Child Health Policy, Equity and Translation at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, focusing on creating fairer and more effective systems of care for children.

He has authored more than 200 scientific publications, advised governments and international organisations, chaired numerous expert committees including the Victorian Children’s Council,  co-led the development of Australia’s National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and played a leading role in shaping child health and mental health policy across Australia. His work has consistently focused on giving children the best possible start in life, particularly through prevention and early intervention.

His contributions extend well beyond policy. As a clinician and mentor, Professor Oberklaid has inspired generations of paediatricians, researchers and child health professionals. Through initiatives such as Mental Health in Primary Schools, he has demonstrated how schools, health services and communities can work together to identify challenges early and support children before problems become entrenched.

Shaping the Future Through Thriving Kids

More recently, Professor Oberklaid has played a leading role in shaping one of the most significant child development reforms in Australia’s history. Together with Federal Minister for Health and Disability, Mark Butler, he co-chaired the national Thriving Kids Advisory Group. Established by the Australian Government, Thriving Kids aims to create a new national system of support for children with developmental delay, developmental concerns and autism, ensuring families can access help earlier and closer to home.

In recognition of his extraordinary contribution to child health, research and public policy, Frank has received numerous honours, including appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia and being named Victoria’s Senior Australian of the Year in 2023.

For generations of RCH clinicians, researchers and alumni, Professor Frank Oberklaid’s legacy is not only the institutions and programs he helped build, but a profound shift in how we think about children’s health: prevention over crisis, community alongside clinical care, and every child given the opportunity to thrive.