Fiona Stanley is an eminent pediatrician, epidemiologist, and public health researcher, and a visionary, compelling, and influential advocate for global child health.

Stanley's early research confirmed the link between maternal folate deficiency and significant birth defects, most notably spina bifida.

She has devoted much of her career to illuminating social and economic forces impacting childhood health, with a major focus on Aboriginal health.

In 1990, Stanley founded Telethon Kids Institute in Western Australia, a world-renowned medical research center with a remarkable track record of developing and implementing innovative approaches to the prevention and treatment of childhood disease and the improvement of children's health, well-being, and lifetime prospects.