Nick Coatsworth

Last updated


Nick Coatsworth is an Australian infectious diseases expert. He was Australia's deputy chief medical officer [1] during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he regularly appeared in print and on radio and television to provide the public with information.

Contents

He is Nine Network's medical expert and presents the television show Do You Want to Live Forever? with Tracy Grimshaw. [2]

Education

Coatsworth was educated at Wesley College in South Perth which he attended between 1985 and 1995. [3] At Wesley he was awarded the Philip Goatcher Scholarship for Years 11 and 12. [3] He also spent five years on the school's debating team which he believes helped to prepare him for communicating with the public. [3]

He attended the University of Western Australia. He graduated with Honours in 2001. [4] In 2022 the university awarded him an Honorary Doctorate for services to medicine. [2] He has a Masters in International Public Health from the University of Sydney. [5]

Medical career

Coatsworth is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. His specialties are respiratory medicine and infectious diseases. [5] He is currently director of infectious diseases at Canberra Hospital. [6]

His other roles have included executive director at the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre in Darwin. [5] He has also lectured in Medicine at the Australian National University. [7] [8]

Coatsworth led humanitarian teams in the Congo and the Darfur region of Sudan for Medicins Sans Frontiers when he was 25, [9] a task that he says left him with PTSD. [10] He told the Today programme: "I think everyone has their limits in life and I kind of reached that, the security situation there was really difficult. There was the  threat of assassination of people in the place where we were." After returning home, Coatsworth became anxious: "I felt like I was having these heart palpitations ... At the end of 2019 it got to the point one weekend I couldn't leave the house." He took anxiety medication to resolve the issue. [10]

He was elected to the board of Medicins Sans Frontiers in Australia in 2008. He served as the board's president in 2010 and 2011. [5] [11] [12]

He also led the second Australian Medical Assistance Team to the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. [2]

His other deployments with the Australian Medical Assistance Team include Vanuatu after Cyclone Pam in 2015 and Fiji following Cyclone Winston in 2016. [2]

In 2023, Coatsworth joined the Australian Patients Association as Ambassador for Health Reform. [13]

In 2024, Coatsworth became a clinical governance advisor for GP telehealth company Eucalyptus. [14]

During the Covid Pandemic

In 2020, during the Covid Pandemic, Coatsworth was appointed as Australia's Deputy Chief Medical Officer. As the only hospital-based practising clinician in the team of deputies, his role initially involved dealing with hospitals and health services. [15]

However, Coatsworth became one of the government's key public-facing experts, appearing regularly in press conferences [16] [17] [18] and on television programmes to talk about the virus. This led to him being labelled a 'household name' by the media. [19] [20]

He was appointed by Australia’s then top health adviser Brendan Murphy one of three deputy chief medical officers. [19]

Coatsworth has been outspoken about elements of how Australia handled COVID-19. His positions include:

Media work

Coatsworth has written opinion pieces for publications including:

Television

Coatsworth is Nine Network's Medical Expert [2] appearing regularly as a guest on Nine Network programmes.

He is presenter of a Nine Network television show he created, [25] Do You Want To Live Forever? which he hosts with Tracey Grimshaw. [2]

He has been a guest on multiple television programs including:

In 2021 he starred in television adverts on behalf of the Australian government about COVID-19 vaccinations. [47] [48]

In 2023 Coatsworth filled in as presenter of Today while regular host Karl Stefanovic took Christmas leave. His appointment left "plenty of noses out of joint" due to his perceived inexperience. [49]

Other platforms

He has also been interviewed on radio [50] [51] and for podcasts [52] [53]

Personal life

Coatsworth is married to Dr Rebecca Pearson, a lung transplant physician. [54] They have three children. [55] [19]

He has lived in Canberra since 2016. [56] [57] [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Swan</span> Scottish-Australian doctor

Norman Swan is a Scottish-born Australian physician, journalist and broadcaster.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia was a part of the worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 January 2020, in Victoria, when a man who had returned from Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, tested positive for the virus. As of 6 August 2022, Australia has reported over 11,350,000 cases and 19,265 deaths, with Victoria's 2020 second wave having the highest fatality rate per case.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brendan Murphy (doctor)</span> Secretary of the Department of Health and Aged Care

Brendan Murphy is an Australian public servant, health executive and nephrologist who served as the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Australia from 4 October 2016 before serving as the Secretary of the Department of Health from 13 July 2020 until his retirement on 6 July 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 apps</span> Mobile apps designed to aid contact tracing

COVID-19 apps include mobile-software applications for digital contact-tracing—i.e. the process of identifying persons ("contacts") who may have been in contact with an infected individual—deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exposure Notification</span> Initiative for mobile device-based privacy-preserving contact tracing

The (Google/Apple) Exposure Notification System (GAEN) is a framework and protocol specification developed by Apple Inc. and Google to facilitate digital contact tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic. When used by health authorities, it augments more traditional contact tracing techniques by automatically logging close approaches among notification system users using Android or iOS smartphones. Exposure Notification is a decentralized reporting protocol built on a combination of Bluetooth Low Energy technology and privacy-preserving cryptography. It is an opt-in feature within COVID-19 apps developed and published by authorized health authorities. Unveiled on April 10, 2020, it was made available on iOS on May 20, 2020 as part of the iOS 13.5 update and on December 14, 2020 as part of the iOS 12.5 update for older iPhones. On Android, it was added to devices via a Google Play Services update, supporting all versions since Android Marshmallow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVIDSafe</span> Contact tracing app by the Australian Department of Health

COVIDSafe was a digital contact tracing app released by the Australian Government on 26 April 2020 to help combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The app was intended to augment traditional contact tracing by automatically tracking encounters between users and later allowing a state or territory health authority to warn a user they have come within 1.5 metres with an infected person for 15 minutes or more. To achieve this, it used the BlueTrace and Herald protocol, originally developed by the Singaporean Government and VMWare respectively, to passively collect an anonymised registry of near contacts. The efficacy of the app was questioned over its lifetime, ultimately identifying just 2 confirmed cases by the time it was decommissioned on 16 August 2022.

The Chief Medical Officer is the principal health advisor to the Australian government. The position is a medical appointment, reporting to the Departmental secretary for the Department of Health and Aged Care. The position is responsible for the Office of Health Protection which itself has responsibility for biosecurity, immunisation and disease surveillance. The position is also responsible for "maintaining high-quality relationships between the department, the medical profession, medical colleges, universities and other key stakeholders". Other responsibilities of the position vary according to the skills and background of the officeholder. The position was created in November 1982 because the newly appointed Director-General of Health was not a doctor. The position is an advisory in nature and does not have executive or operational authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Sutton (doctor)</span> Australian public health physician

Brett Andrew Sutton is an Australian public health doctor who served as the Chief Health Officer of Victoria between March 2019 and July 2023. Sutton served in this role during the COVID-19 pandemic and became a public face of the response to the pandemic in Victoria.

The COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales, Australia was part of the worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first confirmed case in New South Wales was identified on 19 January 2020 in Sydney where three travellers returning from Wuhan, Hubei, China, tested positive for the virus.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Queensland, Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Western Australia</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Western Australia

The COVID-19 pandemic in Western Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Western Australia (WA) confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on 21 February 2020, and its first death on 1 March. On 15 March, premier Mark McGowan declared a state of emergency. On 24 March, Western Australia closed its borders to the rest of Australia, and on 1 April, the state implemented borders between regions in the state. By mid-April 2020, the state had eliminated community transmission of COVID-19, becoming one of the few places in the world to do so. There were only a handful of cases of community transmission in the state after mid-April, until late December 2021 when a tourist caused an outbreak that led to the cancelling of some New Year's Eve events, and the re-imposing of mask wearing rules in Perth and the Peel region.

The COVID-19 pandemic in South Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

The COVID-19 pandemic in the Northern Territory is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Tasmania is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

This article documents the chronology and epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia during 2020.

This article documents the chronology and epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia during the first half of 2021.

This article documents the chronology and epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia during the second half of 2021.

Do You Want to Live Forever? is an Australian medical documentary series on the Nine Network, which debuted on 17 June 2024.

References

  1. ↑ https://www.health.gov.au/resources/videos/coronavirus-covid-19-dr-nick-coatsworth-message-on-masks?language=en
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Dr Nick Coatsworth: Do You Want To Live Forever? 2024 official host bio". 9now.nine.com.au. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  3. 1 2 3 Relations, Community (2020-12-16). "Dr Nicholas Coatsworth - Doctor in the House". Wesley College. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  4. ↑ "Distinguished Alumni Speaker Series - Dr Nick Coatsworth".
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Nick Coatsworth". Business News . Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  6. ↑ "Clinical Associate Professor Nicholas Coatsworth". ANU School of Medicine and Psychology. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  7. ↑ "Clinical Associate Professor Nicholas Coatsworth". ANU School of Medicine and Psychology. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  8. ↑ "UWA graduate joins Australia's front line medical team in Canberra : Archive Page : The University of Western Australia". www.news.uwa.edu.au. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  9. ↑ "Former deputy medical officer reveals Australia's biggest Covid mistake". 2024-06-26. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  10. 1 2 "'We're all a little broken, I think we have to admit that': Coatsworth opens up about mental health struggles". 9now.nine.com.au. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  11. ↑ "MSF Australia Annual Report 2010 by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Australia". 2011-05-29. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via Issuu.
  12. ↑ "MSF Australia Annual Report 2011 by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Australia". 2015-05-31. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via Issuu.
  13. ↑ "Dr Nick Coatsworth joins Australian Patients Association to put patients at the centre of Medicare reform". Australian Patients Association. 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  14. ↑ Simpkins, Sarah (2024-01-10). "Dr Nick Coatsworth joins GP telehealth company offering compounded semaglutide for weight loss". AusDoc. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  15. ↑ "Medical graduate helps chart our way out of COVID-19". www.uwa.edu.au. 2020-07-27. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  16. ↑ "The Deputy Chief Medical Officer urges people to continue regular health check ups". SBS News. 2020-04-10. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  17. ↑ Australian Department of Health and Aged Care (2020-04-23). Australian COVID-19 update, 23 April 2020 . Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  18. ↑ "Coronavirus distancing measures having an impact on case numberss". ABC News. 2020-04-10. Retrieved 2024-11-04– via YouTube.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Mad doctor or a COVID genius? You be the judge". The West Australian . 2022-03-21. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  20. ↑ Bushnell, Ian (2020-10-23). "Dr Nick Coatsworth takes on his toughest appointment yet". Riotact. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  21. ↑ Mahony, Jack (2020-10-20). "Dr Nick Coatsworth says 'fear persisted far too long' as state governments went their own way with COVID-19 response". Sky News Australia. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  22. ↑ "Dr Nick Coatsworth". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2022-11-24. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  23. ↑ "Nick Coatsworth". Australian Financial Review . 2024-05-26. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  24. ↑ https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fcommentary%2Fgps-know-sickcare-is-where-the-money-lies%2Fnews-story%2F039c676b14b8eec25b21aed07fc9206e&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=GROUPA-Segment-2-NOSCORE&V21spcbehaviour=append
  25. ↑ Trenoweth, Samantha (2024-06-12). "EXCLUSIVE: Tracy Grimshaw on her gap year and return to TV". The Australian Women's Weekly .
  26. ↑ "Omicron 'clearly' not more dangerous than influenza for fit, young and healthy: Dr Nick Coatsworth". Sky News Australia. 2020-10-20. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  27. ↑ "Morrison's additional portfolios made 'no practical impact': Dr Coatsworth". Sky News Australia. 2022-08-16. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  28. ↑ "Health expert does not see 'fundamental structural reforms' in health within budget". Sky News Australia. 2023-05-09. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  29. ↑ "More must be done to 'dissuade young people' from taking up vaping". Sky News Australia. 2023-05-09. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  30. ↑ "There should be 'no delays' to COVID-19 vaccine compensation scheme". Sky News Australia. 2023-04-17. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  31. ↑ "Dr Nick Coatsworth separates medical fact from fiction | 9 News Australia". 9 News Australia. 2023-11-12. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  32. ↑ "Dr Nick Coatsworth says Teo 'separated himself too much from medical community' | 9 News Australia". 9 News Australia. 2023-07-12. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  33. ↑ "Hosts hilariously test Dr Nick Coatsworth against Chat GPT | Today Show Australia". TODAY. 2023-04-11. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  34. ↑ "'Doctor Karl' diagnoses medical expert with COVID-19 | Today Show Australia". TODAY. 2022-03-02. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  35. ↑ "Scientists in Japan believe they will be able to grow human babies in a lab | Today Show Australia". TODAY. 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  36. ↑ "Doctor's warning amid growing popularity of Ozempic | 9 News Australia". 9 News Australia. 2023-08-15. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  37. ↑ "Victorian doctors to use Artificial Intelligence in all consultations". 9 News Australia. 2023-07-22. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  38. ↑ "Dr Nick Coatsworth discusses the coronavirus outbreak in Victoria | 7.30". ABC News (Australia). 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  39. ↑ "Dr Nick Coatsworth says the target in NSW and Victoria is 'no community transmission' | 7.30". ABC News (Australia). 2020-07-20. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  40. ↑ "Coronavirus: The latest COVID-19 news on Monday, May 25 (Sunrise edition) | 7NEWS". 7NEWS - Australia. 2020-05-24. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  41. ↑ A Current Affair (2021-07-27). "Dr Nick Coatsworth urges Aussies to get vaccinated against COVID-19 now | A Current Affair" . Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  42. ↑ abcqanda (2021-02-11). "Hotel Quarantine and Aerosol Transmission | Q+A" . Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  43. ↑ "Dr Nick Coatsworth says 'focus now needs to be on boosters for our most vulnerable' | 7.30". ABC News (Australia). 2021-12-16. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  44. ↑ "Infectious diseases physician says it's "incredibly dangerous" to wait for Pfizer vaccine". ABC News (Australia). 2021-08-31. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  45. ↑ "Deputy CMO on Australia's east coast coronavirus outbreaks | News Breakfast". ABC News (Australia). 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  46. ↑ "Coronavirus Q&A: Your questions answered by experts". ABC News (Australia). 2020-05-07. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  47. ↑ "Covid-19 Vaccination | Dr Nick Coatsworth Commercial - (09.07.2021)". South Coast TV | 3. 2021-07-24. Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  48. ↑ Australian Department of Health and Aged Care (2021-06-07). "COVID-19 vaccines - Vaccine rollout to people aged 40 and over - Dr Nick Coatsworth - 30 second" . Retrieved 2024-08-07– via YouTube.
  49. ↑ https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/dr-nick-coatsworth-announced-as-holiday-fillin-for-karl-stefanovic-on-today/news-story/6b4ce312d38d1c2fa55a064b124db8c8
  50. ↑ "Dr Nick Coatsworth: A major life-changing event, COVID-19 response and becoming a TV personality". 6PR. 2024-06-21. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  51. ↑ "'Do You Want to Live Forever? - Dr Nick Coatsworth talks about his new show". 4BC. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  52. ↑ "Healthy Her: Longevity TV show Special: Dr Nick Coatsworth on creating a longevity series on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  53. ↑ "Keep on Radio: My Career Journey with Dr Nick Coatsworth on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  54. ↑ Harris, Rob (2021-10-26). "After bitter rollout politics, Coatsworth looks forward to the 'summer after the pandemic'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  55. ↑ "Canberra medico helps Aussies turn back the clock on new TV show". Explore Travel. 2024-06-05. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  56. ↑ "Dr Nick Coatsworth on the 'special' place he discovered via TV show". travel.nine.com.au. 2024-07-04. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  57. ↑ "Top doctors, academics living in an 'alternative reality'". Australian Financial Review. 2022-01-11. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.