Prestigious international award for respected TRI CEO

TRI CEO and respected respiratory physician Professor Scott Bell has been recognised for his outstanding contribution to cystic fibrosis with a prestigious international award.

Professor Bell is the recipient of the European Cystic Fibrosis Society (ECFS) Award.

The award is presented annually to honour a person who has made an outstanding
contribution to our cystic fibrosis understanding or to the treatment or care of patients.

It recognises Professor Bell’s career as a clinician, researcher, leader and mentor – with a highlight being his leading role in developing a new global blueprint for the care of people
with cystic fibrosis.

The work, published in Lancet Respiratory Medicine and cited 317 times (Scopus, June
2024), will support the care for global population of more than 100,000 people with cystic fibrosis, including 3500 Australians.

“The ECFS Award is certainly a prestigious one, with past recipients including acclaimed
scientists Professors Lap-Chee Tsui, Frances Collins and Jack Riordan who co-discovered gene responsible for causing cystic fibrosis,” Professor Bell said.

“I am truly honoured and humbled, in equal measure, to be afforded this honour by the Society.”

Professor Bell has contributed to consensus statements and framing adult care policy internationally and is a leading physician in supporting the pipeline towards clinical trials.

He was Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Cystic Fibrosis for seven years. He has more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and has received in excess of $24 million in grant support.

Before becoming TRI’s CEO, Professor Scott held positions as Senior Respiratory Physician at the Prince Charles Hospital, Executive Director of Research at Metro North Health, and head of UQ’s Lung Bacteria laboratory, based at the Child Health Research Centre.

Professor Bell is recognised for his commitment to student training and mentoring, community awareness of better lung health and research translation, and partnering with patients, advocacy groups, clinicians, researchers and policymakers.

On June 5, Professor Bell presented a lecture about his career for the European Cystic Fibrosis Conference's Opening Plenary in Glasgow, Scotland.

The ECFS is an international community of scientific and clinical professionals committed to improving survival and quality of life for people with CF by promoting high quality research, education and care.