Dr. Anthony (Tony) Coulepis

BSc (1974); BScHons (1976); PhD (1981); MASM (1985)

Executive Director of AusBiotech

Tony attended Camberwell High from 1966 to 1971 and went on to Monash University, where he completed his Bachelor of Science with subject majors in Physiology, Biochemistry and Microbiology. He went on to complete his Honours Degree there, within the Department of Microbiology, working on his project, "The Purification and Characterisation of Hepatitis A Antigen". Tony remained in the Microbiology Department at Monash University, and was now a Research Assistant under the supervision of Dr A A Ferris, still working on classifying the Hepatitis A Virus. From 1978-1980, Tony joined the Virology Department of Fairfield Hospital and was supervised there by Dr Ian Gust (whilst completing his PhD thesis at Monash on the characterisation of the Hepatitis A Virus, which was known as "Infectious Hepatitis" until Tony differentiated this strain).

He was then appointed Scientist in charge of the Hepatitis Laboratory at Fairfield Hospital, overseeing routine diagnostic serology, sero-epidemiological and developmental research.

In the years, 1982 - 1984, Tony was awarded a Post-Doctoral Fellowship by the National Health and Medical Research Council to continue his research on Hepatitis A and B.

He was subsequently appointed to the World Health Organisation (WHO) programme to assist in the development of a Hepatitis A vaccine (1985 - 1986).

For the following two years, he worked as the Principal Research Scientist, co-ordinating and supervising the AMRAD research programme at Fairfield Hospital - developing immunoassays for use by blood transfusion services. (Fairfield Hospital was collaborating with CSL in this project)

He went on to work with AMRAD Corporation from 1988 to 2000, initially working as a senior developmental scientist in their Immunodiagnostic Unit, then going to to head their biotech division.

At the beginning of 2001, Dr. Tony Coulepis accepted the position of the Australian Biotechnology Association's (ABA) "founding" Executive Director, bringing with him over 25 years of experience in biotechnology, including his wealth of experience with Hepatitis A (with in excess of 50 scientific publications on his research).

Tony's key role was to transform the ABA into AusBiotech, Australia's peak biotechnology industry organisation.

During his time in the biotechnology industry,Tony has been involved with pharmaceutical, diagnostic, manufacturing, and reagant sectors of the industry, and has held a variety of positions including Laboratory Director, Operations Director, General Manager, and Business Development Director. Consequently, in addition to a scientific and technology background, Tony also brings to AusBiotech many years of commercial and management experience.

Through Tony's involvement in the biotech industry and his consequent interactions with government organisations, service providers, and stakeholders, he is well positioned to implement the AusBiotech Business Plan, entitled "Growing Australian Biotechnology".

To learn more about the AusBiotech organisation that Tony heads, please visit www.ausbiotech.org.

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Debs - I remember Tony well from Camberwell High -he was in my form twice and our paths crossed frequently with our common interests in music. Tony played saxophone and was in the School Dance Band, the orchestra and the choir. I recall an incredibly polite and enthusiastic person who later was voted Churchill House Captain and School Prefect in his last two years, following the four previous years where he was a Form Captain. Tony always struck me as being genuinely nice to everyone and keenly interested in his fellow students and CHS school life.

The 1970 Dance Band (Left to Right: Nola Hart, Jim Davidson, Malcolm Linsell, Jeff Head, Tony Coulepis, Ian Carlsson, Richard Roberts, Barry George)