Public Officer

Dr Dave Emonson
Country: Australia
Service: Royal Australian Air Force

Group Captain Emonson was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1958 and grew up in Victoria. He entered Monash University in 1975 and graduated with Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery Degrees in 1981. He subsequently underwent his intern training at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne (where he was born). In following years Dr. Emonson was awarded the Diploma of Obstetrics of the Royal Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (1985), the Diploma of Veneriology of the Royal Society of Apothecaries of London (1987), The Diploma in Aviation Medicine of the University of Otago, New Zealand (1997) and a Masters Degree in Science in Exercise Physiology from Adelaide University (1996). He is currently undertaking a Masters Degree in Public Health through the University of New South Wales in Sydney.

Dr. Emonson has authored a number of peer reviewed papers and made a number of presentations at professional meetings on topics including Aviation Medicine, Exercise Physiology and Military Medicine. He is an Associate Fellow of the Aerospace Medicine Association, a Member of the Royal Australian College of Medical Administrators and a Member of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Group Captain Emonson joined the Royal Australian Air Force as an undergraduate Pilot Officer in 1979. Upon completing his medical training he was posted as Medical Registrar to No. 3 RAAF Hospital, Richmond, NSW and subsequently as O & G Registrar/SMO Penang Health Centre, to No. 4 RAAF Hospital, Butterworth Malaysia. Subsequent assignments have included Senior Medical Officer to both Headquarters Support Command and RAAF Williamtown (at the time of the introduction of the F/A-18 into service with the RAAF). In 1990, then WGCDR, Emonson was attached to Brooks AFB, TX to undergo training as a Flight Surgeon, prior to being assigned as Chief of Flight Medicine in the office of the Command Surgeon, HQACC at Langley AFB, Virginia. On return to Australia in mid –1993, he was assigned as Commanding Officer of the RAAF's Institute of Aviation Medicine and given the task of moving the unit from Point Cook to new facilities at RAAF Base Edinburgh, SA. Dr. Emonson was promoted to Group Captain and assigned to the Office of the Surgeon General as Director of Health Planning and Intelligence in 1997. In 1999 he was posted as a student to the Defence Strategic Studies Course conducted at the new Australian Defence College in Canberra. He is the first ADF health officer to undertake this course.

Group Captain Emonson has a number of interests including sailing, swimming and camping. He holds US and Australian Commercial Pilots Licences, Command Instrument Ratings from both countries and a twin engine endorsement. He is married to Julie, a trained nurse. They have three sons; Christopher (14), Jonathan (12) and Benjamin (3) and a baby daughter Suzannah born in 1998.

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