Professor John Rasko is an Australian pioneer in the application of adult stem cells and genetic therapy. Since 1999 he has directed the Department of Cell and Molecular Therapies at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the Gene and Stem Cell Therapy Program at the Centenary Institute, University of Sydney. He is a clinical haematologist, pathologist and scientist with an international reputation in gene and stem cell therapy, experimental haematology and molecular biology. In over 200 publications he has contributed to the understanding of stem cells and blood cell development, gene therapy technologies, cancer causation and treatment, human genetic diseases and molecular biology. He serves on Hospital, state and national bodies including Chair of GTTAC (OGTR) and past Chair of the TGA Advisory Committee on Biologicals. He co-founded and was past-President of the Australasian Gene & Cell Therapy Society and has served as President, President-Elect, and Vice President of ISCT.