Nicola Spurrier

Nicola Jane Spurrier PSM (born 9 December 1966) is an Australian paediatrician and public health physician who has been the Chief Public Health Officer of South Australia since August 2019.

Education

Spurrier graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Adelaide in 1990. She has a Graduate Diploma in Epidemiology from the University of Newcastle (1997) and completed a PhD from Adelaide University in 1999, with a thesis titled Parental management of children's asthma:the role of psychosocial factors.

Career

Spurrier worked at the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide from 1993 until 1999, before becoming a lecturer in Paediatrics and Child Health at Flinders University and consultant paediatrician at Flinders Medical Centre. In 2011, the University awarded her the status of associate professor and in April 2020, professor. She is qualified as a specialist in both public health and paediatrics.

Spurrier has worked for SA Health for nearly thirty years, developing and implementing programs and policies focused on child health, obesity prevention and Aboriginal health. She is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine.

Spurrier became Chief Public Health Officer for South Australia in August 2019. Four months later, she was involved in the state's response to bushfires. From March 2020, Spurrier led South Australia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, giving daily press conferences alongside Premier Steven Marshall in which she was called "calm, honest and direct". She became popular with the public and had a cocktail named after her at Adelaide bar 2KW. Despite her "cult following", she ruled out a move into politics.

Awards and recognition

Spurrier was one of four nominees for 2021 South Australian of the Year. She was awarded a Public Service Medal in the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours for outstanding public service to community health in South Australia.

In September 2022, a newly discovered species of bacteria was named Nicolia spurrieriana in recognition of Spurrier's work during the Covid pandemic.

Personal life

Spurrier has been married to David Spurrier, a physiotherapist, for thirty years and they have a daughter and two sons. Her mother, sister, and brother in law are all also doctors.

Selected publications

Book

• Kirke, Kerry; Spurrier, Nicola; Bray, Martin (2009). Screening For Good Health: The Australian Guide To Health Screening And Immunisation. Melbourne University Publishing. ISBN 9780522859331.

Articles

• Nicola J Spurrier; Michael G Sawyer; Jennifer J Clark; Peter Baghurst (1 January 2003). "Socio-economic differentials in the health-related quality of life of Australian children: results of a national study". Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. 27 (1): 27–33. doi:10.1111/J.1467-842X.2003.TB00376.X. ISSN 1326-0200. PMID 14705264. Wikidata Q53359918.
• Nicola J Spurrier; Michael G Sawyer; David L Streiner; A James Martin; Declan Kennedy (1 September 2005). "New measure of parental asthma management for school-age children". Pediatric Pulmonology. 40 (3): 241–250. doi:10.1002/PPUL.20261. ISSN 8755-6863. PMID 16013068. Wikidata Q53618590.
• Nicola J Spurrier; Anthea M Magarey; Catherine Wong (1 July 2006). "Recognition and management of childhood overweight and obesity by clinicians". Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. 42 (7–8): 411–418. doi:10.1111/J.1440-1754.2006.00890.X. ISSN 1034-4810. PMID 16898877. Wikidata Q53591063.
• Nicola J Spurrier; Anthea M Magarey; Rebecca Golley; Fiona Curnow; Michael G Sawyer (30 May 2008). "Relationships between the home environment and physical activity and dietary patterns of preschool children: a cross-sectional study". International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 5: 31. doi:10.1186/1479-5868-5-31. ISSN 1479-5868. PMC 2432071. PMID 18513416. Wikidata Q36728811.
• Nicola J Spurrier; Robert E Volkmer; Christina Abi Abdallah; Alwin Chong (1 June 2012). "South Australian four-year-old Aboriginal children: residence and socioeconomic status influence weight". Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. 36 (3): 285–290. doi:10.1111/J.1753-6405.2012.00872.X. ISSN 1326-0200. PMID 22672037. Wikidata Q40039558.
• Allison Larg; John R Moss; Nicola Spurrier (22 February 2018). "Relative contribution of overweight and obesity to rising public hospital in-patient expenditure in South Australia". Australian Health Review. doi:10.1071/AH17147. ISSN 0156-5788. PMID 29467071. Wikidata Q51368355.
• Patrick C K Tam; Kathleen M Ly; Max L Kernich; Nicola Spurrier; Diana Lawrence; David L Gordon; Emily C Tucker (30 May 2020). "Detectable severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in human breast milk of a mildly symptomatic patient with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)". Clinical Infectious Diseases. doi:10.1093/CID/CIAA673. ISSN 1058-4838. PMC 7314245. PMID 32472683. Wikidata Q96025027.