Dr Nick Coatsworth is one of Australia’s Deputy Chief Medical Officers. He is also the Executive Director of the Medical Services Group at Canberra Health Services. Nick held a key national role in the Australian response to COVID-19. Bringing together his skills as an infectious disease physician, a respiratory physician, a practitioner of disaster and humanitarian medicine, and high level experience in health administration, Nick’s contribution provided a voice for frontline hospital staff in the national response to the pandemic. He became one of the most recognised medical spokespeople during the pandemic, engaging the Australian community through a variety of media platforms.

Nick has had a long history of leadership in medicine. He was Executive Director of the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre in Darwin, and oversaw deployments of Australian Medical Assistance Teams to Vanuatu and Fiji after Cyclone Pam and Winston. Nick led the second AusMAT to the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan.

During his early career years Nick was a field doctor for Medecins Sans Frontieres and practised in the Republic of Congo, Chad and Darfur. Later, he became President of the Australian Section of MSF and served on the Board for two terms. He continues to serve on the Board of Careflight Limited.

Nick graduated from the University of Western Australia with Honours in 2001. He has a Masters degree in International Public Health from the University of Sydney. Currently, Nick is part way through his Doctoral thesis understanding the Australian foreign policy response to global health events, focussing on the COVID-19 pandemic.