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CICM Past President Prof Bala Venkatesh has been appointed Member of the Order of Australia in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours 


The College congratulates Past President, Professor Bala Venkatesh on being appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the General Division. This award recognises Bala's significant service and contribution to intensive care medicine, research and education.


Bala is widely recognised as one of the leading figures in intensive care medicine, both in Australia and internationally. Across a distinguished career in clinical care, research, education and leadership, he has made a profound contribution to improving outcomes for critically ill patients and advancing the specialty worldwide.

His original work in sepsis and other areas of laboratory and clinical research, including mentorship of junior colleagues and capacity building has contributed significantly to Australia becoming a world leader in Intensive Care research. Bala participates in academic collaborations across Australia, the UK, Europe and particularly his native country, India where he has recently led practice-changing studies in COVID-19 and other key topics.

Education and training have been central to his career. Since 1998, he has convened the highly regarded Brisbane Intensive Care Course for trainees across Australia and New Zealand. As an examiner and later Chair of Examinations for the College of Intensive Care Medicine, he led significant reforms to training and assessment, while also helping to establish intensive care training programs in India and Malaysia.

Bala was a founding Board member of the College and served as President from 2014 to 2016, contributing extensively to accreditation, workforce, standards and training. 

All of these voluntary, unpaid roles in academics, training and teaching are underpinned by his strong desire to improve the care and outcomes of critically ill and some of the most vulnerable patients in this country. 

Throughout his career, Bala has excelled as a hardworking clinician with outstanding clinical acumen. He has held clinical roles at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Princess Alexandra Hospital and The Wesley Hospital, and is currently Academic Professor of Intensive Care at Gold Coast University Hospital. He also holds senior academic and leadership appointments with The George Institute for Global Health, The University of Queensland, and several other institutions in Australia and India.

In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the specialty, Professor Venkatesh received both the Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Oration Medal and the College of Intensive Care Medicine Medal in 2024.

Bala’s career has been defined by excellence, generosity and service. He continues to inspire colleagues and trainees across the intensive care community.


Pictured: Professor Bala Venkatesh AM

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Acknowledgement of Country

CICM acknowledges and pays respect to the Traditional Custodians of the lands across Australia on which our members live and work, and to their Elders, past, present and future. We pay respect to the Wurundjeri Peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which CICM’s office stands.

CICM acknowledges Māori as tangata whenua and Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi) partners in Aotearoa New Zealand.