Professor Stephen Chambers, of Christchurch, CNZM for services to infectious disease research
Professor Stephen Chambers established the Infectious Diseases Department at Christchurch Hospital in 1987 and remained Clinical Director until 2015.
The Department has trained a large proportion of New Zealand’s infectious disease physicians. He founded and developed The Infection Group, a collaboration between the Canterbury District Health Board and the University of Otago that is now a leading infectious diseases clinical research team.
His public health roles have included Chair of the Polio Eradication Committee for the Ministry of Health, member of the Medical Committee of the Pacific Leprosy Foundation, Chair of Canterbury DHB’s Antimicrobial stewardship and Infection Control Committees, and Co-Chair of the South Island Hospital Antimicrobial Group.
Professor Chambers founded the Charles Farthing Memorial Scholarship fund to promote research among young doctors and scientists.