Professor Shirley Bowen is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, and trained as an Infectious Diseases specialist. She has a broad career in clinical medicine, executive leadership, research and academia.
Dr Bowen was the Dean of the School of Medicine (Fremantle) at the University of Notre Dame Australia, director of medical services at St John Of God Murdoch Hospital from 2012 to 2014, and chief executive of St John Of God Subiaco Hospital for over 5 years. She was been the chief executive of the North Metropolitan Health Service from 2022 until her appointment as director-general of the Department of Health in 2024.