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John Yu

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Not to be confused with John Yoo.

John Yu
AC FRACP FRSN
Born
余森美

(1934-12-12) 12 December 1934 (age 90)
Nanking, China
CitizenshipAustralian
EducationUniversity of Sydney
Medical career
FieldPaediatrics
InstitutionsRoyal Alexandra Hospital for Children

John Samuel Yu (Chinese: 余森美; pinyin: Yú Sēnměi; born 12 December 1934) AM AC FRACP is a Chinese-born Australian paediatrician. He was was CEO of the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children in Sydney from 1979 until 1997, and was named Australian of the Year for 1996.

Early life and education

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John Samuel Yu[1] was born in Nanking (now Nanjing, Jiangsu Province), China,[2] on 12 December 1934.[3] He moved to Australia with his parents at the age of three.[4]

He attended Fort Street High School and the University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia,[5][1] graduating with MB BS.[3]

He also earned a Diploma of Child Health from the Royal College of Physicians in London.[6]

Career

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Yu started work at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children in 1961 (later officially called the New Children's Hospital,[7] also known as The Children's Hospital at Westmead). He was a staff physician at the hospital from 1972 to 1997, and chief executive of the New Children's Hospital at Westmead from 1978 to 1997.[1] He was CEO of the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children at the time of its relocation from inner-city Camperdown to Westmead in western Sydney in 1995.

He was chancellor and member of the council of the University of New South Wales from 2000 to July 2005.[3]

Recognition and honours

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Yu was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1989[8] and was named Australian of the Year in 1996.[9] He was promoted to Companion of the Order of Australia in 2001.[10]

He has been awarded several honorary degrees, including Hon. MD (USyd), Hon. DLitt (University of Western Sydney), and Hon. DSc (UNSW).[3]

In 2004, artist Ah Xian created a celadon (glazed ceramic) bust of Yu, which is held by the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. Art philanthropist Marilyn Darling funded the project.[11]

In 2019 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales.[12]

He was made a fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales (FRSN) in 2019.[13] He was also a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP); of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators (FRACMA); and of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.[3][13]

Yu was designated a National Living Treasure of Australia[4] in 2012.[14]

Other activities

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From 2004, Yu was Chair of VisAsia, which promotes the appreciation of Asian visual arts and culture.[4] From 2005 until at least 2013, Yu was a trustee of the Australian Cancer Research Foundation.[6]

He chaired or was a member of many other management boards and charitable organisations, including Musica Viva, Starlight Foundation, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales from 1997 to 2006, when he was made a Life Governor of the gallery. He chaired the Australia-China Council of the Department of Foreign Affairs from 2001 to 2006.[4][3]

On 10 October 2023, Yu was one of 25 Australians of the Year who signed an open letter supporting the Yes vote in the Indigenous Voice referendum, initiated by psychiatrist Patrick McGorry.[15][16]

Yu has published several books and many papers on paediatrics, hospital management, and the decorative arts.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Details: Dr John Samuel Yu papers and photographs, ca. 1900-2019". State Library of New South Wales Old Catalogue. Archived from the original on 24 March 2025. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  2. ^ "Yu, John, 1934- - Full record view". Libraries Australia. 10 July 1997. Archived from the original on 15 December 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Chancellors exhibition". UNSW Sites. 19 March 2025. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e "John Yu AC, b. 1934". National Portrait Gallery people. 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  5. ^ Joel, Alexandra (4 January 1997). "The man who cares for kids". Good Weekend. pp. 23–25. Retrieved 23 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b Australian Cancer Research Foundation (2014). "Annual report for the year ended 31 December 2013" (PDF). p. 4. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  7. ^ Loane, Sally (21 October 1995). "An Injection of Art". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. Spectrum 8A. Retrieved 23 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Member of the Order of Australia (AM) entry for Dr John Samuel Yu". Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 12 June 1989. Retrieved 23 July 2020. For service to medicine, as a paediatrician and hospital administrator
  9. ^ Lewis, Wendy (2010). Australians of the Year. Pier 9 Press. ISBN 978-1-74196-809-5.
  10. ^ "Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) entry for Dr John Samuel Yu AM". Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 11 June 2001. Retrieved 23 July 2020. For service to the provision and development of 'state of the art' paediatric care and research, to children's rights, to education, and to the decorative and visual arts.
  11. ^ "Dr John Yu, 2004". National Portrait Gallery collection. 3 February 2025. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  12. ^ "Fellows of the Royal Society of NSW (Y)". Royal Society of New South Wales. Archived from the original on 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Fellows". The Royal Society of NSW. 17 January 2025. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  14. ^ "Australia's National Living Treasures, they surprised us too". Mamamia. 5 March 2012. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  15. ^ Butler, Josh (11 October 2023). "Australian of the Year winners sign open letter saying no vote in voice referendum would be a 'shameful dead end'". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  16. ^ Winter, Velvet (10 October 2023). "Voice referendum live updates: Australians of the Year Yes vote letter in full". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 11 October 2023.
Academic offices
Preceded by Chancellor of the University of New South Wales
2000–2005 		Succeeded by
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