Lambie Dew Oration

The Lambie Dew Oration is an annual public event held in honour of Professors Charles Lambie and Harold Dew, the first Bosch Chairs of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Sydney. It is an opportunity for the Sydney University Medical Society (SUMS) to invite a speaker who has made a major impact in health to address an audience in the formal surroundings of the Great Hall and represents one of the key scholarly events organised by SUMS.

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The story of Lambie and Dew harks back to a vastly different era and illustrates just how far medicine and medical education have progressed in this country. Upon their appointments in 1930 and 1931, Lambie and Dew became the first full time professors of Medicine and Surgery at any Australian university. By the end of 1932, they had entirely reshaped the medical curriculum at the University of Sydney in such a way that it was left largely unchanged for over 40 years. Together they helped build the foundation of a world renowned institution in medical research and education. It is for this reason that their legacy is celebrated with this annual oration named in their honour.

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The Oration itself boasts an esteemed list of recent past speakers, including: Ms Helen Clark (Administrator of the United Nations Development programme), Dame Valerie Beral, Professor Peter Doherty (Nobel Laureate), Dr Fred Hollows, the Hon Michael Kirby and Professor Marie Bashir (Former Governor of NSW). The topics of past orations present snapshots in a fascinating history of significant medical and social issues.