As Chair of the major research funding agency in Australia, the Australian Research Council (ARC), Professor Vicki Sara is a person many an academic would like to get close to.

However, when she visits Bathurst this week we can expect much of her attention to be focussed on the future health professionals she will address as keynote speaker at the Charles Sturt University Faculty of Health Studies graduation ceremony on Wednesday 7 April at 10.30 am.

A former Dean of Science at Queensland University of Technology, Professor Sara spent 17 years in Sweden and headed the renowned Karolinska Institute's Endocrine Pathology Research Laboratory.

A multi award winner for her endocrine research, Professor Sara is credited with isolating the growth hormone responsible for foetal brain development.

She is a member of the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council, the CSIRO Board, The Anglo-Australian Telescope Board, the Australian Council for Educational Research and the ACT Science and Technology Council.