University of Sydney professors and melanoma treatment researchers Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer were jointly named Australians of the Year for 2024 on Thursday, Jan. 25 on the eve of Australia Day celebrations.
The professors were co-directors of the Melanoma Institute of Australia, which was credited with saving thousands of lives since developing an immunotherapy approach to treating melanoma, the ABC reported.
Long and Scolyer have innovated and pioneered the treatment of melanoma—an advanced diagnosis of such was considered fatal less than a decade ago.
The duo used their acceptance speech to advocate against tanning.
"Thousands of Aussies will be soaking up the sun working on their tans - or, as we see it, brewing their melanomas," Long said. "So we call on advertisers and social media influencers - stop glamorizing tanning, or using it to sell or advertise or entertain."
She also dedicated the joint award to their patients and their families for whom their breakthrough treatments came too late.
From Melanoma to Brain Cancer
Aside from melanoma, the pair also adapted the treatment to tackle brain cancer after Scolyer was diagnosed with an incurable grade four brain cancer in June 2023. Long was compelled to help Scolyer by taking what they learned from treating melanoma and attempting to treat brain cancer as well, making Scolyer the first person with brain cancer to have pre-surgery combination immunotherapy.
The recognition was jointly awarded as it not only proved the value of "Aussie mateship," but more substantially, Scolyer's bravery for making himself the test subject for advancing the understanding of brain cancer and benefitting future patients, even at the risk of shortening his own life.
During the joint speech, Scolyer took the opportunity to discuss his own cancer diagnosis and the pair's experimental treatment for it.
"I stand here tonight as a terminal brain cancer patient," he said, "I'm only 57 - I don't want to die."
Other AOTY Awardees
Meanwhile, three other awards were given prior to the main recognition.
The 2024 Local Hero award was received by Winton, Queensland resident David Elliott, who single-handedly revived Australia's paleontology research after he found a dinosaur fossil during routine sheep mustering in 1999.
Young Australian of the Year was awarded to Olympic swimmer Emma McKeon for her performance in the Commonwealth Games, where she won six medals, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she won seven, as well as breaking world records in swimming.
Senior Australian of the Year was awarded to Yalmay Yunupingu, an indigenous teacher, linguist, and community leader in northeast Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.
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