John Francis Fraser
John Fraser
John Francis Fraser AO (born 1969) is a Scottish-born Australian intensive care physician, researcher and academic. He is the founder and director of the Critical Care Research Group (CCRG) based at The Prince Charles Hospital and The University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.[1] Fraser has held leadership roles in critical care medicine, extracorporeal life support and translational medical research, and is known for his contributions to mechanical circulatory support, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and international critical care collaborations.
Early life and education
Fraser has described his upbringing as influencing his interest in medicine and research, noting that members of his immediate family were engaged in medical and academic professions. He has stated in interviews that his experiences during his father’s terminal illness, when his father was treated in an intensive care unit for respiratory failure, contributed to his perspective on end-of-life care and the role of intensive care medicine.
Fraser has reflected on the importance of patient-centred outcomes in critical care, including considerations of quality of life and end-of-life decision-making in intensive care settings.
Fraser was born in Scotland and graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB ChB) from the University of Glasgow in 1991. He subsequently undertook specialist training in anaesthesia and intensive care medicine in the United Kingdom and Australia. In 2010, he completed a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at The University of Queensland.[2]
Research Interests
The central aim of Fraser's research is to advance understanding of critically ill patients and improve outcomes through the translation of scientific knowledge into new or enhanced treatment modalities globally.
Career
Critical Care Research Group
In 2004, Fraser founded the Critical Care Research Group (CCRG) at The Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane, Australia. The organisation conducts multidisciplinary research in critical care medicine, cardiovascular disease, extracorporeal life support, biomedical engineering and translational health sciences. The group includes researchers and clinicians from a range of disciplines and collaborates with healthcare and academic institutions in Australia and internationally. CCRG's research infrastructure includes laboratory facilities and access to preclinical research capabilities through the Queensland University of Technology's Medical Engineering Research Facility.
The Medical Engineering Research Facility supports research and training in medical devices, implants, biomaterials, and surgical equipment and techniques to help make medical procedures safer and more efficient, leading to better health outcomes for patients.
Industry and Innovation
Fraser is Founder and Chief Medical Officer at De Motu Cordis (DMC). DMC is developing emergency treatment solutions for life-threatening conditions such as anaphylaxis. Their investigational device aims to treat anaphylaxis by delivering epinephrine through inhalation, using the pulmonary pathway.
Global response to COVID-19 pandemic
In January 2020, Fraser co-founded the COVID-19 Critical Care Consortium[3] with Gianluigi Li Bassi and Jacky Suen. The consortium established an international clinical registry to collect and analyse data from patients admitted to intensive care units with COVID-19. The project involved collaboration with hospitals and research groups across multiple countries, including participants from the Asia-Pacific Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (APELSO), the SPRINT-SARI network, and the ISARIC network. It also collaborated with national registries, including the Australian ECMO registry (EXCEL).
The consortium was established to support the collection of standardised clinical data on critically ill COVID-19 patients, including those receiving mechanical ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), in order to inform understanding of disease severity and outcomes in intensive care settings.
Fellowships and Qualifications
- 2021: Fellow, Extracorporeal Life Support Organization
- 2018: Australian Society of Medical Research Clinical Research Award
- 2016: Fellow, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow
- 2010: Fellow, College of Intensive Care Medicine of Australia & New Zealand
- 2010: Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
- 2002: Fellow, Joint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, Australia & New Zealand College of Anesthetists & Royal Australian College of Physicians
- 2000: Fellow, Faculty of Intensive Care Australia & New Zealand College of Anaesthetists
- 1998: Fellow, Royal College of Anaesthetists
- 1998: Fellow, Faculty of Anaesthetists Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (now FCARCSI)
- 1997: Member, Royal College of Physicians United Kingdom
- 1996: Diploma in Anaesthetics, Royal College of Anaesthetists United Kingdom
- 1991: Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, University of Glasgow Scotland
Awards, Honours and Positions Held
In 2025, Fraser was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for "distinguished service to medicine as an intensive care physician and researcher, and for contributions to global critical care research."
Other awards and positions held include:
- 2025: Mentor Award, Cardiovascular Alliance, Excellence in Cardiovascular Research Awards[4]
- 2024: Co-President, International ECMO Network
- 2024: Queensland representative, Australian Cardiovascular Alliance
- 2023: Advisory Board Member, Intensive Care Medicine Experimental
- 2023: Metro North Researcher of the Year – The Prince Charles Hospital Staff Excellence Awards[5]
- 2023: Inaugural MedTech Ambassador, Brisbane Economic Development Agency (BEDA)
- 2022: Honorary Research Fellow, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood
- 2022: Affiliate Membership, Translational Research Institute
- 2021: Meritorious Contributions to Delivery of Extracorporeal Support, Extracorporeal Life Support Organization
- 2004: Founder and Director, Critical Care Research Group, The Prince Charles Hospital, The Institute for Molecular Bioscience
- 2012: Director Intensive Care Unit, St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital, UnitingCare
- 2010: Adjunct Professor, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland
- 2010: Adjunct Professor, School of Medicine & Dentistry, Griffith University
- 2012: Honorary Adjunct Professor, School of Medicine, Bond University
- 2009: Adjunct Professor, School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Faculty of Engineering, QUT
- 2005: Adjunct Clinical Professor, Central Clinical School, Monash University
Personal
John Fraser lives in Brisbane, Australia. He has five children, Ben, Dominic, Nicholas, Lucy, and Tommy. His Belfast-born grandmother was one of the first women to qualify as doctor in Northern Ireland.[6]
References
- ↑ "World-leading critical care team joins IMB". imb.uq.edu.au. 2024-02-02. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
- ↑ Queensland, The University of. "Professor John Fraser | UQ Experts". About. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
- ↑ Li Bassi, Gianluigi; Suen, Jacky; Barnett, Adrian Gerard; Corley, Amanda; Millar, Jonathan; Fanning, Jonathon; Lye, India; Colombo, Sebastiano; Wildi, Karin; Livingstone, Samantha; Abbate, Gabriella; Hinton, Samuel; Liquet, Benoit; Shrapnel, Sally; Dalton, Heidi (December 2020). "Design and rationale of the COVID-19 Critical Care Consortium international, multicentre, observational study". BMJ Open. 10 (12): e041417. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-041417. ISSN 2044-6055. PMC 7714653 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 33268426 Check|pmid=value (help). - ↑ "2025 ACvA Awards - Celebrating Excellence in Cardiovascular Research". www.ozheart.org. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
- ↑ rezaks. "Research Excellence Awards 2023". Metro North Health. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
- ↑ BRANDVOICE (2023-08-25). "The "Willy Wonka" of the Ward – how Professor John Fraser aims to ensure that through innovation, patients thrive, not just survive". Forbes Australia. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
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