Ann Elizabeth Sefton

From 1965 to 1973, Sefton worked as a lecturer in physiology at the University of Sydney, becoming an associate professor in 1985 and professor in 1992.^[1][2] She also served as associate dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sydney from 1991 to 1999.^[1] Her early research developed anatomical arrangements of the visual centres of the brain,^[2][7][8] with later work concentrating on the development of colour vision in mammals.^{[2][9][10][11]}

Sefton also contributed to medical education at the University of Sydney. She initiated the development of a new type of medical education program, moving away from memorisation and rote-learning, and instead integrating clinical reasoning, critical appraisal and problem solving.^[2] This approach was implemented in the Graduate Medical Program at the University of Sydney in 1997.^[2] Sefton also joined the Faculty of Dentistry as associate Dean part-time from 1999 to 2001, helping to develop their graduate dental program.^[1][2] Sefton received multiple awards for teaching excellence from the University of Sydney.^[1][2][4] She was also made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2000 "for service to medical education, particularly in the area of reform and the development of a graduate medical programme, and to physiology and research in the field of neuroscience through the study of the function and structure of the visual pathways of the brain."^[3]

Sefton has been an emeritus professor at the University of Sydney since 2001.^[12] She served on the University of Sydney Senate from 2001 to 2009, becoming Pro-Chancellor in 2001 and serving as Deputy Chancellor from 2004 to 2008.^[2] She has also acted as a co-chair of the education committee of the International Union of Physiological Sciences.^[2]

• 1990 – Award for teaching excellence received from the University of Sydney^[1][4]
• 1991 – Honorary life member of the University of Sydney Medical Society^[1][4]
• 1992 – Honorary Life Member of the Australian Medical Students Association^[1][4]
• 1993 – Education Achievement Award received from the ANZ Association of Medical Education^[1][4]
• 1995 – Lions Club Award received for contributions to the Save Sight Foundation^[1][4]
• 1995 – Lions Club Award received from the NSW/ACT Public Health Care Foundation^[1][4]
• 1998 – Australian Award for University Teaching^[1][4]
• 2000 – Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)^[1][3][4]