John Yu

AC FRACP FRSN
Born
余森美

(1934-12-12) 12 December 1934 (age 89)
Nanking, China
NationalityAustralian
EducationUniversity of Sydney
Medical career
FieldPaediatrics
InstitutionsRoyal Alexandra Hospital for Children

John Samuel Yu AC FRACP FRSN (Chinese: 余森美; pinyin: Yú Sēnměi; born 12 December 1934) is a Chinese-born Australian paediatrics doctor who served as CEO of the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children from 1979 until 1997. He was the Australian of the Year for 1996.

Early life and education

Born in Nanking (now Nanjing, Jiangsu Province), China, he attended Fort Street High School and the University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia.[1] John Yu discovered his passion for paediatric care and after starting work at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children in 1961 now called the New Children's Hospital, he eventually rose to become Head of Medicine in the hospital and later Chief Executive in 1979.[2]

Career and later life

He was the chief executive officer of the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children at the time of its relocation from inner-city Camperdown to Westmead in western Sydney in 1995 (The hospital now uses the name The Children's Hospital at Westmead in addition to its official title), and served as the chancellor of the University of New South Wales from 2000 to 2005.[3]

He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1989 and was named Australian of the Year in 1996.[4][5] He was promoted to Companion of the Order of Australia in 2001.[6] In 2019 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales.[7]

Yu, as CEO of the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, publicly supported a bill introduced by Alan Corbett in the New South Wales Legislative Council to protect children from abuse and excessive physical chastisement. The bill passed in 2001, banning parents striking children above the shoulders (thus preventing neck, head, brain and facial injuries), and requiring that any physical force applied leave only trivial and short-lived signs such as redness (that is, no bruising, swelling, welts, cuts, grazes, internal injuries, emotional trauma, etc.).[citation needed]

On 10 October 2023, Yu was one of 25 Australians of the Year who signed an open letter supporting the Yes vote in the Indigenous Voice referendum, initiated by psychiatrist Patrick McGorry.[8][9]

References

  1. ^ Joel, Alexandra (4 January 1997). "The man who cares for kids". Good Weekend. pp. 23–25. Retrieved 23 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Loane, Sally (21 October 1995). "An Injection of Art". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. Spectrum 8A. Retrieved 23 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ UNSW Archives Chancellor Exhibition
  4. ^ "Member of the Order of Australia (AM) entry for Dr John Samuel Yu". It's an Honour, Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 12 June 1989. Retrieved 23 July 2020. For service to medicine, as a paediatrician and hospital administrator
  5. ^ Lewis, Wendy (2010). Australians of the Year. Pier 9 Press. ISBN 978-1-74196-809-5.
  6. ^ "Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) entry for Dr John Samuel Yu AM". It's an Honour, Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 11 June 2001. Retrieved 23 July 2020. For service to the provision and development of 'state of the art' paediatric care and research, to children's rights, to education, and to the decorative and visual arts.
  7. ^ "Fellows of the Royal Society of NSW (Y)". Royal Society of New South Wales. Archived from the original on 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  8. ^ Butler, Josh (11 October 2023). "Australian of the Year winners sign open letter saying no vote in voice referendum would be a 'shameful dead end'". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  9. ^ Winter, Velvet (10 October 2023). "Voice referendum live updates: Australians of the Year Yes vote letter in full". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 11 October 2023.
Academic offices Preceded bySir Anthony Mason Chancellor of the University of New South Wales 2000–2005 Succeeded byDavid Gonski
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