Dr Norman Swan AM
Award-Winning Physician, Journalist, and Trusted Voice in Health Communication
Dr Norman Swan is one of Australia’s most recognisable multi-award-winning health commentators, a physician and journalist best known for his long career with the ABC. He co-hosts The Health Report on Radio National, co-hosts What’s That Rash, and reports for 730 and other ABC television programs. Norman is renowned for his ability to communicate complex medical issues with clarity and authority.
He joined the ABC in 1982 as one of Australia’s first medically qualified journalists. Within two years, he was named Australian Radio Producer of the Year and received a Gold Citation at the United Nations Media Peace Prizes. Over his distinguished career, Norman has won multiple awards, including three Walkley National Awards, the prestigious Gold Walkley, the highest honour in Australian journalism, and two Michael Daly Awards for excellence in science journalism.
A career-defining moment came with his groundbreaking investigation into gynaecologist Dr William McBride, whose fraudulent research Norman exposed, leading to McBride’s deregistration and a major shock to the medical establishment.
Norman’s broadcasting experience is extensive. He hosted the ABC television program Catalyst, co-hosted Life Matters for five years, and created Invisible Enemies, a four-part international series on disease and civilisation for Channel 4 (UK) and SBS, later broadcast in 27 countries. He also makes frequent appearances on Late Night Live and Radio National’s breakfast news programs. Additionally, he manages The Choice Health Reader newsletter in partnership with CHOICE.
Internationally, he has served as the Australian correspondent for the Journal of the American Medical Association and the British Medical Journal, consulted for the World Health Organisation in Geneva, and chaired meetings with global Health Ministers in West Africa promoting evidence-based health policies.
Norman is also a celebrated author. He has written three bestselling books: So You Think You Know What’s Good For You, So You Want To Live Younger Longer, and most recently So You Want to Know What’s Good For Your Kids, covering the critical developmental years from birth to ten.
His contributions to health communication have been widely recognised. In 2004, he became only the third recipient of the Medal of the Australian Academy of Science. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Glasgow, and in 2006, he received an honorary Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Sydney during its 150th anniversary celebrations. In 2023, he was awarded an AM (Member of the Order of Australia) in the Australia Day Honours for his significant service to the broadcast media as a science and health commentator.