It is with great sadness that we share the news of the untimely passing of our friend, colleague, mentor and collaborator, Professor John Hopper AM, who led our MyBRISK Centre of Research Excellence.
He has been researching breast cancer at the University of Melbourne since the early 1990s. As Head of the University’s Breast Cancer Unit in the Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, his research contributed to better detection, prevention and treatment for breast cancer in Australia and globally.
He first initiated research into mammographic density and screening in 1997 establishing the Mammographic Density Research Facility. He also helped establish and was a Principal Investigator on the international Breast Cancer Family Registry involving research groups in the USA, Canada and Australia.
Since 2022, he has led our MyBRISK Centre of Research Excellence. His leadership saw him drive and support groundbreaking mammographic density and screening studies and, more recently, to investigate the fields of artificial intelligence and risk.
On Monday 28th October, John hosted the MyBRISK All of Team Meeting which was also attended by a number of international and interstate collaborators and colleagues, who were in town to attend the two-day ‘Why Study Mammographic Density’ Conference due to start the next day.
In his usual innovative fashion, John had devised a framework to showcase the number and breadth of the research projects which were being undertaken and supported by the CRE – the A (Artificial Intelligence) to Z (Zero deaths) of the CRE.
The meeting was a personal and professional triumph for John and culminated in a dinner with a small number of his long-term colleagues and friends. It was at the end of this dinner that he unexpectedly collapsed and was unable to be revived.
Throughout his distinguished career, John authored over 1,200 scientific papers, significantly impacting fields such as cancer epidemiology, public health, and genetic research.
In particular, his leadership in twin studies has left an enduring legacy to the scientific community. In 1990, he was appointed Director of the Australian Twin Registry, now known as Twins Research Australia (TRA), based at the University of Melbourne. It has become one of the world’s largest twin registries, with over 35,000 twin pairs.
This invaluable resource has facilitated pioneering studies into how genetics and the environment affect health outcomes including breast cancer. He also advocated for strengthening global networks, data sharing and fostering partnerships. His mission was to ensure twin studies remained at the forefront of scientific discovery.
Professor Hopper received numerous honours, including being named an inaugural Australia Fellow by the NHMRC in 2007 and receiving the Member of the Order of Australia in 2008 for his service to genetic epidemiology and public health.
John will be remembered as a generous friend, provocateur, collaborator and insightful mentor – and he will be deeply missed. His legacy lives on through his contributions to breast cancer and twin research, and the scientific community at large, continuing to inspire generations in the pursuit of knowledge and health improvement.
John was an enormous inspiration, and his passing is a great loss to us all. Our thoughts are with John’s family and many, many close friends and colleagues around the world.
Comments, stories and memories are welcome at our online remembrance card for John. The University of Melbourne is also planning a memorial event, and we will provide further details when available.
With thanks,
Dr Sue Malta, Program Manager
MyBRISK Centre of Research Excellence
Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
The University of Melbourne