Sally Cockburn

Australia's leading health communicator - ‘Dr Feelgood’

Dr Sally Cockburn, known in the media also as Dr Feelgood, is Australia's leading health communicator. She is a graduate of Monash University Medical School and has nearly twenty years clinical experience as a medical practitioner. She also has over ten years as a media presenter on TV, radio and in print.

Sally's aim is to debunk jargon, demystify medical matters and help people understand their body. She's not afraid to tackle the delicate issues and approaches these with sensitivity and humour. Sally strongly believes that ignorance breeds fear and everyone deserves answers.

About Sally Cockburn:

As a doctor, Sally has extensive clinical and teaching experience She worked in the public hospital sector for 6 years, in surgery and emergency before focussing on a speciality general practice career.

An avid public speaker and writer, Sally's media career began in 1990 when one of her patients asked her whether she might be part of a new radio show she was producing. Because of medical board recommendations she was not able to use her real name and so "Dr Feelgood" was born! Her weekly health segment on the phenomenally successful 3AW breakfast program, Lawyers Guns and Money continued for 2 years until, believe it or not, another patient suggested an opportunity for her own show, on another radio network! From 1993, her 6 years as host of top rating national radio talk back sex and relationships program Pillowtalk on the Austereo Network gathered her a loyal following all over Australia due to her down to earth, practical advice on matters of the heart and body.

She has also produced and hosted several radio specials for Austereo and 3AW. Real talk about Heroin, The Study Survival Guide for HSC students and most recently The Truth about HRT. This latter program was put together in three days in a response to the glut of confusing information about HRT and its risks which hit the media in July 2002. It drew unprecedented public interest.

Sally hosted her own national Saturday night TV talk show with the Seven network in 1994 called Dr Feelgood and presented a weekly medical segment on Good Morning Australia with Bert Newton on Channel 10 for nine years. In 2001 she wrote and hosted her own TV series of 24 episodes called Your Health with Dr Feelgood and she has made guest appearances on many Australian TV shows including Beauty and the Beast and Battle of the Sexes. In 1996 she became one of the first media presenters to host an Internet site  which was part of  the launch of MSN in Australia and has been active in online activities ever since.

In 1994 Sally wrote her book Dr Feelgood's Thoughts on Sex and Relationships, which reached the bestseller list. She has also written advice columns and articles for many national magazines including New Idea and New Woman.

She returned to 3AW and to host her own talk back radio program Life Essentials each Sunday evening and also appears weekly as Medical Presenter on the top rating Neil Mitchell radio program.

Sally has remained in active part time General Practice in suburban Melbourne. Her practice is busy and diverse and keeps her in touch with issues facing the public. She has held a post as Senior Lecturer at Monash University Medical School where she taught communication skills to medical students and was part of the team that devised the communications curriculum for the medical school. Sally teaches medical students a course in Medical journalism at Monash University and has been a supervisor for Post Graduate Specialty General Practice training.

Sally is a consultant to Parks Victoria in the development of their Healthy Parks Healthy People Initiative. This project won the coveted 2002 Banskia Foundation communication award and the 2001 Marketing Industry of Australia State Public Sector Award for Marketing Excellence.  She has been the recipient of an MBF award for excellence in Health Journalism for Radio in 1996 and the Radio Industry's prestigious Reward for Best Australian Radio Documentary in 1999.

As well as media and active General Practice Sally is active in community affairs and charities - she is the immediate past Chairman of the Variety Club of Victoria, a current committee member of Interplast and the Thomaiy Breast Cancer foundation. She is also a member of Monash Medical Faculty Foundation and Chair of the community relations and Alumni committee. She has served as a member of the Committee of Management of Melbourne's Metropolitan Ambulance Service for 6 years, and was part of the 20 member Victorian State Ministerial Advisory Committee on Women's Health. She is Chair of the National Communication Strategy Project Committee for Organ Donation.

In 2002 Sally was appointed to the Patron's Council of the Royal District Nursing Service and as a patron of the Southern Mental Health Association. She has been awarded Arthritis Victoria's prestigious Lorin Prentice Award for outstanding contribution in raising public awareness of musculoskeletal disease. In December 2001 she was appointed an Australia Day Ambassador by the Victorian Premier.