Professor John Furness receives the Order of Australia

Key points

Professor John Furness has been appointed Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).
Professor Furness’ research focuses on the autonomic nervous system and its role in digestive physiology and nutrition.

Recognising a distinguished service to medical research

Professor John Furness of The Florey has been appointed Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours List.

The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia has announced this year’s Order of Australia, which recognises Australians who have demonstrated outstanding service or exceptional achievement in their field of work.

Professor John Furness, who leads the Digestive Physiology and Nutrition Group at The Florey, is receiving his AO in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours List for his ‘distinguished service to medical research in the field of autonomic neuroscience and neurogastroenterology’.

Professor Furness’ research focuses on the autonomic nervous system and its role in digestive physiology and nutrition. He is best known for his work in unravelling the intrinsic circuits of the enteric nervous system and discovering sensory neurons within the digestive tract.

Professor John Furness wears a blue collared shirt and smiles — Professor John Furness

One of his most recent discoveries includes a first-in-human implantation of a bionic device for Crohn’s disease, aiming to prevent inflammation from recurring in patients after surgery.

Professor Furness and his team also work to better understand gut-brain communication and how the brain controls an individual’s digestive function.

I am very pleased for this recognition of basic biomedical science and for the support that I have received from the Florey Institute and its Director. The Florey has a magnificent record of research achievement and continues to excel in neuroscience research.

Professor John Furness holds dual positions at The Florey and the University of Melbourne. He is based at the Department of Anatomy and Physiology at the University of Melbourne, where he is Professor Emeritus, and at The Florey, where he is a Group Head and Senior Research Fellow.