Daniel Fatovich

Professor Daniel Fatovich is a senior emergency physician and clinical researcher at Royal Perth Hospital Emergency Department with over 30 years' experience. He serves as Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Western Australia, Head of the Centre for Clinical Research in Emergency Medicine (CCREM) within the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, and Director of Research for East Metropolitan Health Service (EMHS).

His academic credentials include an MBBS from the University of Western Australia (1983), FACEM (1990), and a PhD from the University of Western Australia (2012) with a thesis on 'Major trauma in Western Australia and the effects of distance, time and remoteness on mortality.'

Prof Fatovich's research spans multiple critical areas in emergency medicine, with particular focus on illicit drugs and emerging substances, trauma, sepsis, resuscitation, and methodology. He is chief investigator for the Emerging Drugs Network of Australia (EDNA), a national toxico-surveillance system that has become instrumental in detecting illicit, emerging and novel psychoactive substances in emergency department presentations. His work in neuroplasticity, clinical decision-making, and doctor-patient communication reflects his interest in the cognitive aspects of emergency medicine practice.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on emergency department management of emerging drug trends, alcohol-related harm, sepsis interventions, and cardiac biomarker testing. The research shows an evolving pattern toward systems-based approaches to emergency care, with increasing emphasis on public health implications of emergency department data. His work on EDNA represents a significant shift toward real-time surveillance of emerging drug threats across Australia.

• WA Health Excellence Award for Excellence in Research and Innovation (2024)
• UWA Vice-Chancellor's Award in Research Impact and Innovation (2024)
• Award of Excellence in the Multimedia Division of the US based BCA BioImages Awards (2022)
• Mentorship Award (inaugural, 2020)
• Tom Hamilton Oration (2020)
• John Gilroy Potts Award

Prof Fatovich has secured over $33 million in competitive grant funding, with recent projects including the Emerging Drugs Network of Australia (EDNA), which received NHMRC funding of $3.7 million in 2020. He has served as Ministerial adviser for the passage of the Guardianship and Administration (Medical Research) Act Western Australia in 2020 and 2023, and was deputy chair of the WA Methamphetamine Taskforce in 2017-18. His leadership extends to the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) Research Committee and Clinical Trials Network.

He leads the Centre for Clinical Research in Emergency Medicine (CCREM) within the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, which serves as the hub for his extensive research activities including the national Emerging Drugs Network of Australia (EDNA) that has established sentinel monitoring in emergency departments across Australia. The EDNA system represents a groundbreaking approach to early detection of novel psychoactive substances, with implications for public health responses nationwide.