Professor David Hill is a behavioural scientist who is Director of The Cancer Council Victoria and was founding Director of its Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer. Professor Hill is a Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne. In 2001, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for ‘services to the promotion of community health, particularly in the development of cancer awareness and prevention programs'.
Professor Hill, who received his PhD in psychology from the University of Melbourne, has authored or co-authored over 200 scientific articles and reports in the medical, public health and psychological literature. His published work includes research on the prevalence of adolescent and adult smoking, strategies for smoking cessation, reduction of smoking uptake, smoking regulation, behavioural aspects of screening mammography, management of primary operable breast cancer, efficacy of breast self-examination, monitoring trends in skin cancer prevention, and exploring determinants of behaviours related to skin cancer prevention.
Professor Hill has served on a number of national and international committees and taskforces in cancer prevention, including the Chair of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Privacy Working Committee. He is currently serving a term as President of the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) from 2008 to 2010.
The UICC is a non-government, independent association of more then 270 member organisations in over 80 countries. Its objectives are to advance scientific and medical knowledge in research, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer, and to promote all other aspects of the campaign against cancer throughout the world. With a small secretariat based in Geneva, the conduct of the UICC's programs depends largely upon the voluntary involvement of experts worldwide.
The UICC has an important role in reducing the global burden of cancer, and Professor Hill's appointment reflects the achievements of Australia's cancer control program, and the ways that these can inform cancer control in the developing world. He undertakes the duties associated with his role as UICC President in addition to his duties as Director of the Cancer Council Victoria.
