Professor Benjamin Cowie

Professor Benjamin Cowie is an infectious diseases physician and epidemiologist, with appointments at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Doherty Institute. He is a Professorial Fellow in the Department of Infectious Diseases, Melbourne Medical School. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ben supported public health and health system responses with a focus on community engagement, clinical care for people with COVID-19, control of community transmission of infection, and in helping establish Victoria's COVID-19 vaccination program. From 2021 to 2024, Ben served part time as Chief Health Officer for Victoria. 

Ben has built a broad research agenda in the epidemiology and control of communicable diseases, with a focus on viral hepatitis. He leads a range of research projects and innovative health programs in this field and has been involved in the development of healthy public policy in relation to viral hepatitis in Australia and internationally. In 2015 Ben was named the inaugural Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Viral Hepatitis at the Doherty Institute.