Ian Johnston

Who was Ian Johnston?

Ian Johnston was one of the true pioneers of reproductive medicine in Australia. He was a primary contributor to the development of human IVF in Melbourne, Australia. He was the Head of the Reproductive Biology Unit at the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne and was the founding President and Honorary Life Member of The Fertility Society of Australia. Ian was known as the 'founding father of IVF in Australia'

One of his greatest moments was the announcement of the first Australian IVF pregnancy and the third of such pregnancies in the world. The birth of the first Australian IVF baby, Candice Reed on 23 June 1980 was a moment of great national pride.

On 26 January 2001, Ian was awarded with Member of the Order of Australia for service to medicine. He lost his struggle with laryngeal cancer a few months later.