Bridget Wilcken

Recipient of the Robert Guthrie Award 2003

Dr. Bridget Wilcken is recognized worldwide for her contributions to improve and enhance newborn screening efforts for metabolic disorders. She has made significant contribution to the development of high quality assays for detection of these disorders and frequently pioneered the implementation of new and better laboratory test procedures. She is recognized as a leader in the field of newborn screening. She contributed substantially to the founding and organization of the International Society for Neonatal Screening (ISNS) that developed communication networks for all newborn screening efforts worldwide. In 1991, she organized the 8th International Neonatal Screening Symposium and the first ISNS meeting. She served as president of ISNS from 1999 to 2002. She is a founding member of the Australasia Society for Inherited Metabolic Diseases.

Dr. Wilcken has served on numerous committees of professional organizations for genetics and newborns screening and authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications many of which have contributed significantly to understanding newborn metabolic disorders, their detection and treatment. Dr. Wilcken has given over 50 invited presentations on metabolic diseases and newborn screening worldwide and authored several book chapters. She has provided consultation and assistance to the Newborn Screening Quality Assurance Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which have contributed to the success of this highly recognized program. For many years, she has led, sustained and expanded the services of the Newborn Screening Program in Australia. Recently, she contributed substantially to the successful implementation of a new technology, tandem mass spectrometry, for expanded newborn screening for metabolic diseases.

In 2002, Dr.Wilcken was honoured by the Australian authorities and awarded the Order of Australia.
In 2013, Dr.Wilcken was elected honorary member of ISNS

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Dr. Wilcken (left) being presented the Order of Australia by the Governor of New South Wales, Prof. Marie Bashir (right).
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Award ceremony at the 6th ISNS Meeting in Awaji (Japan). From left: Anne-Christine Sundell (President Genetic Screening PerkinElmer), Dr. Bridget Wilcken, Prof. J.L. Dhondt (President ISNS)
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Dr. Wilcken shows the plaque denoting her ISNS honorary membership, May 8, 2013