Michelle Telfer

Michelle is a Paediatrician and Adolescent Medicine Physician and is the current Chief of Medicine, appointed to the position in December 2022.

Prior to being appointed Chief of Medicine, Michelle was the Director of the Department of Adolescent Medicine at RCH. She was also the Director of the RCH Gender Service and has been instrumental in the development and expansion of the clinical and research programs amidst rising demand for trans-specific health care in children and adolescents. As an advocate for improved access to medical treatment, Michelle was central to the achievement of federal legal reform and was first author of the inaugural Australian Standards of Care and Treatment Guidelines for trans and gender diverse children and adolescents, which was endorsed via an editorial in The Lancet. In 2019, Michelle was personally profiled by The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health for her achievements in the field.

Michelle was awarded the 2017 GLOBE Community Award for LGBTI Ally of the Year, the President’s Award by Thorne Harbour Health in 2021 and she received a Lifetime Achievement Award in Adolescent Health by the Australian Association for Adolescent Health in 2019. Led by Michelle, the RCHGS was awarded the Minister for Mental Health’s Award for excellence in consumer leadership and advocacy at the Victorian Public Healthcare Awards in 2015 and 2018. In 2022, Michelle was inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women.

Michelle was born in Perth and graduated from the University of Western Australia in 2000, receiving Membership of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 2010. Prior to studying medicine, Michelle was a gymnast with the Western Australian Institute of Sport. As a 16-year-old she won silver and bronze medals at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland and was a member of the 1992 Olympic Gymnastics Team in Barcelona.