Draft:Kerry Breen

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Declined by Carolina2k22 27 hours ago. Last edited by Carolina2k22 27 hours ago. Reviewer: Inform author.

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Dr Kerry John Breen AO (born August 1941) is an Australian physician, ethicist and author recognised for his contributions to medical ethics, clinical medicine, medical education and the regulation of the medical profession. Throughout his career, Dr. Breen has been an advocate for the health and well-being of doctors and has authored or co-authored several works addressing a wide range issues facing the medical profession.

Early life and education

Kerry Breen was born in Bright, Victoria. His father Leo Breen was a primary school teacher for the Education Department of the Victorian Government^[1]. His mother Ellen Mary Breen (nee Zeven) also became a primary school teacher^[1]. He attended primary school in Freeburgh, Victoria with his older sister Jennifer Breen who later became a notable women’s literature professor and the author and editor of numerous works including In Her Own Write (1989) and Women Romantic Poets 1785-1832: An Anthology (1988)^[1]. Kerry Breen matriculated from Assumption College, Kilmore in 1958. In 1959 he enrolled in the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at The University of Melbourne. He graduated in 1964. In 1968 he attained Membership of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and then in 1974 he became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. In 1975, Dr Breen was awarded a Doctor of Medicine by thesis from the University of Melbourne.

Career

From 1978 to 1992 Dr Breen served as the inaugural Director of the Gastroenterology Department at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne ^[2]. From 1994-2000 he was the President of Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria ^[3]. During this time (1997-2000) he also served as President of the Australian Medical Council ^[4]. From 2000 to 2006 he was the chairman the Australian Health Ethics Committee at the National Health and Medical Research Council ^[4]. He held the role of Commissioner of Complaints at NHMRC from 2007 to 2013 and was an inaugural member of the Australian Research Integrity Committee from 2011-2019 ^[4]. Since 2011 he has held an appointment as an Adjunct Professor at Monash University in the Department of Forensic Medicine. Throughout his career, Dr Kerry Breen contributed 187 scientific and professional papers to his field and is the author of the following works.

Works

Law and Ethics in Medicine for Doctors in Victoria, with Vernon Plueckhahn and Stephen Cordner, (1994) ISBN 0646185004

Ethics, Law and Medical Practice, with Vernon Plueckhahn and Stephen Cordner, (1997) ISBN 1864484071

Good Medical Practice: Professionalism, Ethics and Law, with Stephen Cordner, Colin Thomson and Vernon Plueckhahn, (2010) ISBN 9780521183413

So you want you want to be a doctor? A guide for prospective medical students in Australia (2012) ISBN 9781742860275

The Man We Never Knew: Carl de Gruchy - Medical Pioneer (2019) ISBN 9780734054784

Memoir of an accidental ethicist: On medical ethics, medical misconduct and challenges for the medical profession (2018) ISBN 9781925801224

A Passion for Justice: The Life and Times of Forensic Pathologist, Vernon Plueckhahn (2019) ISBN 9781925984040

Humanity in Medicine: The life of physician Dr Stanley Goulston (2020) ISBN 9781922454171

Ten thousand heart operations: The life of cardiac surgeon. Dr John Clarebrough (2022) ISBN 9781922669469

Wrongful convictions in Australia: Addressing issues in the criminal justice system, with Stephen Cordner, (2023) ISBN 9781923068261

A perilous profession: The dangerous lives of doctors (2023) ISBN 9781923068001

A childhood in the Australian bush (2024) ISBN 9781923068957

A Brief History of Modern Medicine: Fifty remarkable years (2025) ISBN 9781923267282

Honours

He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2007 ‘for service to medicine through the advancement of medical ethics and professional standards of training and practice and to the specialty of gastroenterology as a clinician and teacher.’ In 2022, he was made an Inaugural Fellow of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia. In 2023, he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia ‘for distinguished service to advancing ethical medical research, developing doctors’ health programs and as an author.’^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Neill, Heather (16 August 2020). "Jennifer Breen obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
^ Melbourne, St Vincent’s Hospital. "St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne". www.svhm.org.au. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
^ Tonti-Filippini, N., Bramwell, M., Chamberlain, D., Deuble, M., Gardner, J., Gleeson, G., ... & Whalan, A. (2008). Ethical guidelines for the care of people in post-coma unresponsiveness (vegetative state) or a minimally responsive state.
^ ^a ^b ^c Breen, Kerry J., ed. (2010). Good medical practice: professionalism, ethics and law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-18341-3.
^ "King's Birthday Honours List 2023". Retrieved 20 January 2026.

[:0-1] Neill, Heather (16 August 2020). "Jennifer Breen obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 January 2026.

[2] Melbourne, St Vincent’s Hospital. "St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne". www.svhm.org.au. Retrieved 20 January 2026.

[3] Tonti-Filippini, N., Bramwell, M., Chamberlain, D., Deuble, M., Gardner, J., Gleeson, G., ... & Whalan, A. (2008). Ethical guidelines for the care of people in post-coma unresponsiveness (vegetative state) or a minimally responsive state.

[:1-4] Breen, Kerry J., ed. (2010). Good medical practice: professionalism, ethics and law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-18341-3.

[5] "King's Birthday Honours List 2023". Retrieved 20 January 2026.

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