Dr Norman Swan Travels from Sydney, NSW

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Norman co-hosts RN’s Health Report and during the COVID-19 pandemic, has co-hosted Coronacast, a podcast on the coronavirus. Norman is also a reporter and commentator on the ABC’s 7.30, Midday, News Breakfast and Four Corners and a guest host on RN Breakfast. He is a past winner of the Gold Walkley and has won other Walkleys including one with his Coronacast colleagues in 2020. He created Invisible Enemies, on pandemics and civilisation for Channel 4 UK and SBS which was subsequently broadcast in 27 countries. Norman has been awarded the medal of the Australian Academy of Science, an honorary MD from the University of Sydney and in October 2022 a Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. On Australia Day 2023, Norman was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (AM).

During COVID he wrote two books. So You Think You Know What’s Good For You (Hachette) is a best seller and was released in the UK. His latest book So You Want To Live Younger Longer has also been on the best seller list.

Norman trained in medicine and pediatrics in Aberdeen, London and Sydney before joining the ABC.

One of the first medically qualified journalists in Australia, Dr Swan is highly regarded by the medical and health professions.

Born in Scotland, he graduated in medicine from the University of Aberdeen and later obtained his postgraduate qualifications in Paediatrics in the United Kingdom. Joining the ABC in 1982, Dr Swan has won numerous awards for his work on Radio National.

Dr Swan was named Australian Radio Producer of the Year in 1984 and was awarded a Gold Citation in the United National Media Peace Prizes for his radio work. He has won three Walkley National Awards for Australian journalism and in 1989 he was given Australia's top prize for Science Journalism, the Michael Daly Award.

A famous example of Dr Swan's work is his much publicised and controversial investigative program on scientific fraud and the well-known gynaecologist Dr William McBride. The program exposed fraudulent research, sending shock waves throughout the medical world and led to Dr William McBride being de-registered. It earned Dr Swan the 1988 Australian Writers' Guild Award for best documentary and a Gold Walkley.

Dr Swan is known outside Australia. He was the Australian correspondent for the Journal of the American Medical Association and has consulted for the World Health Organisation in Geneva.