Dr Dan Pronk

Dan entered into the Australian Army in 2001 on a scholarship to study medicine. Upon graduation he moved quickly into Special Operations following successful completion of the Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment selection course. Dan saw operational service in Timor Leste and Afghanistan and was awarded the Commendation for Distinguished Service for his leadership in combat during his second of four operational tours of Afghanistan.

Following leaving the army in 2014 Dan has held positions as a remote mine site doctor, a ship’s doctor, the Deputy Medical Superintendent of a regional hospital, and the Medical Director of the South Australian Prison Health Service. He currently works part time in the Emergency Department of a regional hospital in between remote medical support tasks including support of reality TV shows including SAS Australia.

Dan holds a Bachelor of Exercise Science, A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, A Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, a Master of Business Administration, and an Associate Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of Medical Administrators. Dan regularly presents to corporate, medical, military, government, and other groups on leadership under adversity, resilience, and social psychological theory. He has co-authored a best-selling book on resilience titled The Resilience Shield, which uses the evidence base from both the scientific literature, as well as Resilience Shield’s own government grant supported research project, to present resilience as a multifactorial, dynamic, and modifiable construct.