Leon Flicker

Leon Flicker is the inaugural Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Western Australia and Executive Director of the Western Australian Centre for Health and Ageing. He holds dual roles as a practicing geriatrician and consultant at Royal Perth Hospital. His academic leadership includes reorganizing undergraduate and postgraduate geriatric medicine education in Western Australia.

Education & Qualifications:

• MB BS (NSW)
• PhD (GradDipEpid, Melbourne)
• FRACP (Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians)

Research Focus: Leon’s work centers on geriatric health challenges such as falls prevention, dementia, cognitive impairment, and frailty. His research bridges clinical practice and population health, with 475+ peer-reviewed articles and 15 book chapters. Key areas include:

• Epidemiology of aging-related conditions
• Cultural adaptations of cognitive assessments for Aboriginal communities
• Optimizing dementia care models in primary healthcare

Grant & Projects: Over 90 grants including NHMRC-funded initiatives like the Good Spirit Good Life quality-of-life tool development and DAMPAA dementia prevention programs for Aboriginal Australians. Active projects address hearing impairment, falls prevention education, and behavioral interventions for mental distress.

Recognition: Officer of the Order of Australia (2023) for contributions to geriatric medicine and dementia care. Chair of the Asia Pacific Geriatric Medicine Network since 2008.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Western Australian Centre for Health and Ageing, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams on clinical trials and population health studies. Co-develops culturally safe tools like the Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (KICA).