We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of Emeritus Professor Creswell John Eastman (1940–2025), who passed away on May 17th, 2025.
Professor Eastman was one of the esteemed founders of our society, AOTA, and played a pivotal role in its early development. He served as the first Secretary General and Treasurer from 1975 to 1980. His contributions continued as the POC Chairman from 1985 to 1990 and later as Vice-President from 2000 to 2005.
A globally renowned thyroidologist, Professor Eastman dedicated his work primarily to iodine deficiency disorder (IDD). His profound contributions extended beyond scientific research, significantly impacting public health throughout the entire Asia-Oceania region.
He tirelessly served as an advisor on IDD control for UNICEF, the World Bank, and WHO. In 1997, he was appointed as the Principal International Consultant in Endemic Diseases to the Ministry of Public Health of the Peoples Republic of China. He also held a similar appointment to the Tibet Autonomous Region and was an Honorary Professor of Medicine of Tianjin Medical University in China.
Professor Eastman’s remarkable achievements were recognized with numerous prestigious awards. In 1982, He was awarded the Otsuka Gold Medal by AOTA for his research into thyroid disease. In 1988, he was awarded a special Bicentennial Award by the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau for his work from 1985 to 1992. In 2002, he received the Premier’s Gold Service Award for his instrumental role in developing of the NSW (New South Wales) Forensic DNA service laboratory. He was a NSW finalist for Senior Australian of the Year 2003. In 2004, he was honoured by Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn at a special ceremony in the Chitralada Palace, Bangkok for services to the improvement of the health of the Thai people. Professor Eastman’s dedication to endocrinology was acknowledged with his appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia in 1994, then in 2018 promoted to an Officer of the Order of Australia for “distinguished service to medicine, particularly to the discipline of pathology, through leadership roles, to medical education, and as a contributor to international public health projects”.
In 2019 he received the Distinguished Service Award of AOTA for “his distinguished contributions to clinical and laboratory thyroidology, his work to establish and support AOTA, his regional and international work in the epidemiology and eradication of IDD, and his mentoring of colleagues to develop and contribute to clinical thyroidology in our region.”
Professor Eastman’s passing is a profound loss for all of us.
May him rest in peace in Heaven.
Won Bae Kim, President of AOTA
Byeong-Cheol Ahn, Secretary General of AOTA