1. Norman Swan was born on Norman Swirsky in 1953 and is a Scottish-born Australian physician, journalist and broadcaster.
16 Facts About Norman Swan
1. 2.
Norman Swan wanted to be an actor, but instead went to medical school at the University of Aberdeen graduating in 1976.
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Norman Swan later tried unsuccessfully to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
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Norman Swan then continued his postgraduate studies by specialising in paediatrics.
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Norman Swan overhauled the schedule, created the RN current affairs breakfast program and recruited Phillip Adams, Geraldine Doogue and Wendy Harmer as program presenters.
6.
Norman Swan co-hosted the RN program Life Matters between 1996 and 2001, and has produced and presented ABC radio program The Health Report from its inception in 1985.
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From March 2020 until November 2023 Norman Swan co-hosted Coronacast, a podcast about pandemics and the coronavirus.
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Norman Swan is currently a regular reporter and commentator on 7.30.
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Norman Swan was awarded the Gold Walkley in 1988 for revealing scientific fraud conducted by gynaecologist William McBride.
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Norman Swan's investigation sent "shock waves throughout the medical world" and led to McBride's deregistration as a medical practitioner.
11.
Norman Swan was awarded the Medal of The Australian Academy Science in 2004.
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Norman Swan was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences in 2022.
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Norman Swan married Kate Hamann, an ABC radio producer, in June 2024.
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Norman Swan's son Jonathan is a political correspondent, firstly for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, then The Hill, Axios, and currently the New York Times.
15.
Norman Swan experienced post-traumatic stress disorder, blaming himself for not hiring helmets for the bikes, and as a result of being injured in a bus explosion at age 14.
16.
Norman Swan was appointed as a Member the Order of Australia in the 2023 Australia Day Honours for "significant service to the broadcast media as a science and health commentator".