| Paul Kelly | |
| Office: | Chief Medical Officer |
| Honorific-Prefix: | Professor |
| Predecessor: | Brendan Murphy |
| Nationality: | Australian |
| Profession: | Epidemiologist |
| Term Start: | 29 June 2020 |
| Signature: | Paul Kelly signature 2022.svg |
Paul M. Kelly is an Australian public health physician, epidemiologist and public servant who is the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Australia, having served since 29 June 2020.[1] He succeeded Brendan Murphy, who became the Secretary of the Department of Health.[2] [3]
Kelly is also the head of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee and in that role an adviser to the National Cabinet of Australia created to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]
In the past, Kelly assumed a leadership role in the FluCAN project,[5] a national system used to track people hospitalised with influenza, which helps to determine the efficacy of the flu vaccine.[3]
On 22 December 2020, Kelly was officially appointed to the role of Chief Medical Officer on a permanent basis, having previously served in an acting capacity.[6]
In 2022, Kelly reportedly advised against instituting mandatory COVID-19 tests for travellers from China, though the advice was ignored in favor of adopting a policy more in-line with other countries around the world, including the United States, France, and the United Kingdom.[7]