Australia Day Honours: Dr Jaswinder Singh Samra, OAM

Sydney’s Dr JASWINDER SINGH SAMRA is awarded OAM for service to medicine as a pancreatic specialist
One of Australia’s most experienced pancreatic surgeons Jaswinder Samra has been recognised with Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for services to medicine. With extensive academic, clinical and research interests in the field of pancreatic cancer, Professor Samra has been associated with Royal North Shore Hospital, North Shore Private, The Mater and Macquarie University Hospitals.

Pancreatic cancer, the tenth most common cancer in adults, is often too advanced at diagnosis and complex to manage clinically, requiring an aggressive multi-disciplinary approach.
His cutting edge work at Royal North Shore’s internationally renowned pancreatic surgery unit has led to some of the highest success rates in NSW.
Additionally, he co-founded the Australian Pancreatic Centre, combining breadth of knowledge and depth of experience for best possible patient outcomes.
A key collaborator at the Australian Pancreatic Cancer Genome Initiative, Prof Samra is also a member of the Australia and New Zealand Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary Association.
“This award pays tribute to the dedication, hard work and insight of the team at the Pancreatic Cancer Centre. I’ve also been blessed in working with esteemed doctors at the Royal North Shore hospital,” Dr Samra told Indian Link.
Born in the UK, Dr Samra spent his formative years in Punjab, before returning to UK to complete his schooling and went on to attend Manchester and Oxford Universities.
“My life has taken me across the globe from UK, India and now Australia for the past 22 years,” he fondly reminisced.
“My affiliation to Australia is heartfelt and strong. Both personally and professionally my life in this country has been richly rewarded. I met my wife Brijinder Randhawa here,” he stated.
“Indians in Australia are a small yet dynamic and robust community. I take pride in the contributions we make in all walks of life as Australians,” he added.
Dedicating the award to his late mother Sukhvir Kaur, a remarkable woman who has left a lasting imprint on his life, he believes his upbringing has given him a unique perspective on what it means to be Indian, British and Australian. “I love many things about Australia, not least its egalitarian, humour-filled zest for living. I am also proud to be Punjabi. My father Surinder Singh embodies all that I admire of my Sikh heritage,” he noted.
Speaking about his enduring passion in the management of pancreatic cancer patients, Dr Samra acknowledged that the task is enormous.
“It gives me tremendous satisfaction that I have been a part of national and international collaborations to diminish the burden of this disease. There is much more work to be done and I feel immensely privileged to work with outstanding colleagues in this endeavour,” he concluded.