Paul Kelly is a public health physician, epidemiologist and health service executive. In March 2019, he commenced as the Chief Medical Adviser, Health Products Regulation Group (which incorporates the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the Office of Drug Control) within the Australian Government Department of Health. In January 2020 he became one several deputy chief medical officers for the federal government's Department of Health. Previously, he spent 8 years as Chief Health Officer for the Australian Capital Territory and Deputy Director General of Population Health in the ACT Government Health Directorate.
Professor Kelly has previously worked in research, health systems development, post-graduate teaching and as a health service executive including five years in the role of Director of the Masters of Applied Epidemiology Program at the National Centre for Epidemiology & Population Health at the Australian National University, and nine years in the Northern Territory working as a Principle Research Fellow with the Menzies School of Health Research, as well as with the Centre for Disease Control in the NT Department of Health. Prof. Kelly’s work has taken him to five countries on four continents including Malawi, Indonesia, East Timor, and the UK.
Professor Kelly was the principal investigator in the initial development and implementation of the Influenza Complications Alert Network (FluCAN) — a national influenza surveillance system used by hospitals to track patients who are hospitalised with influenza. This work helps to determine the effectiveness of the yearly influenza vaccine.
Dr Kelly graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1983 and is understood to have attended Perth's Aquinas College for his secondary schooling.
