Prior to becoming a Member of Parliament, Dr Katie Allen was a paediatrician at the Royal Children’s Hospital, a Professor at the University of Melbourne and the University of Manchester and Director of the Population Health Research Theme at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. She also sat on the Board of Cabrini Hospital and was the Chairman of Melbourne Girls Grammar School. Dr Allen published more than 350 scientific papers and was elected as an inaugural Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. She has been internationally recognised for her work at the World Health Organisation and the US National Academy of Sciences.
Dr Allen’s research interest in haemochromatosis was triggered by her uncle’s death in 1992, the result of a late diagnosis of haemochromatosis. She was co-lead of three important haemochromatosis studies: Implementation of HaemScreen, a workplace-based genetic screening program for haemochromatosis; ironXS: high-school screening for hereditary haemochromatosis is acceptable and feasible; and Iron-Overload–Related Disease in HFE Hereditary Haemochromatosis
After being elected Member for Higgins in May 2019, Dr Allen sat on 7 Parliamentary committees, including Trade and Investment Growth, Industry, Innovation, Science and Resources and Communications and the Arts. She was a Member of the National COVID-19 Health and Research Advisory Committee, which reported to the Chief Medical Officer of Australia. As a member of the Health, Aged Care and Sport committee, she participated in the inquiry into “Approval processes for new drugs and novel medical technologies in Australia”.
Dr Allen was a co-chair of several Parliamentary Friends Groups, including Haemochromatosis, Preventive Health, Cancer Care and Cure, Dementia and Medical Research, and UNICEF. In her first speech, she outlined her desire for better health care, including ensuring we don’t just have a healthcare system “with the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff,” as well as advocating for strong action on climate, saying, “it’s not just an environmental imperative but an economic one”. Her action on climate, COVID and culture this term reflected her skills and expertise as a scientist, public health professor and professional family woman. She led advocacy that included a commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050; a strong public health response to COVID; and the significant professionalisation of Parliamentary workplace practices.