PA Hospital’s Director of Anaesthetics, A/Prof David Highton claimed one of Metro South's highest honours this November, after taking home the 2025 Metro South Health Chief Executive’s Award.
As an anaesthetist, researcher and professor, David has driven key improvements across Metro South and fostered PAH’s reputation as a leader in research and innovation.
With more than two decades in medicine and countless accolades, his career has been defined not only by clinical excellence but by a deep investment in research, teaching, and patient-centred care.
David’s journey began in London, where he trained in Neuroanaesthesia and Intensive Care. There, he also completed a Ph.D. in brain monitoring before making the move to PAH in 2017.
“I’ve always been driven by the science of keeping the brain safe under extreme pressure,” he said.
“I moved to PAH specifically because of its world class reputation for complex surgery. I was originally hired by Dr. Peter Moran, who was a significant mentor, and later worked under the leadership of Dr. Martin Wakefield. Both instilled in me the ethos of a patient-centred approach,” David explained.
By 2022, David stepped into his role as Director, guiding the team through post-COVID recovery while ensuring PA remained a powerhouse for both clinical excellence and research.
True to his ethos, David’s investment in the next generation of anaesthetists echoes far beyond the walls of PAH, where he continues to inspire countless mentees.
“The award mentioned my work leading the Year 4 Medicine cohort, and that is honestly the part of the job that lights me up,” he said.
“Seeing a medical student connect the dots, or helping a Registrar navigate a complex case, that is where the future of medicine is built. By training these junior doctors, I’m helping thousands of future patients I will never meet.”
Humbled by the Chief Executive Award, David says he’s proud of the recognition extended to the work done at Redland Hospital and as far as Rockhampton, where his team helped address staffing challenges to ensure patients in regional Queensland received the highest standard of care.
“That’s probably my proudest achievement,” he said.
“Equally, I’m proud that our research team now supports projects across the entire Metro South HHS, helping clinicians at other sites turn their ideas into evidence. Knowing we are lifting the standard of care across the whole network is a massive win.”
David credits his team’s strength to their seamless multidisciplinary collaboration and their collective resilience.
“I have a unique perspective on this because my wife is an anaesthetic nurse, so I have a very personal appreciation for the pressure they are under and the skill they bring to the table. The fact that these different professional groups come together, whether at PAH or supporting a list in Rockhampton, is our defining characteristic,” he said.
“I have a deep respect for the resilience everyone brings to the table, from the nursing staff to the admins and our research team who work tirelessly to support the clinicians. It has been a genuine privilege to be part of the Metro South community.”
Fostering PA’s legacy as a premier training ground, David looks forward to a future where today’s students become tomorrow’s safest, most compassionate consultants.
“We have laid strong foundations in medical student teaching and research. I want PAH to be recognised globally—not just for doing great surgery, but for building great doctors.”
PAH congratulates David on this well-deserved honour and celebrates his remarkable ongoing contribution to the PAH community.