Dr Eugen Molodysky OAM, MMBS is an academic and medical practitioner in preventive medicine and translational research. His research has been published in peer reviewed journals over the last 30 years. He has a life-long professional focus on prevention, preclinical diagnosis and early intervention.
His expertise in early detection and diagnosis has been important in Australian medical practice. His work has contributed to the availability of HPV screening for cervical cancer, coronary plaque detection as an early predicator of silent heart disease, and CTC screening for pre-clinical cancer detection.
Molodysky is currently a Clinical Associate Professor at the Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney. He is also a Specialist in General Practice at St Vincent's Private Hospital. He was the first Visiting Medical Officer (VMO) appointed to this role in 1987.
His clinical work has contributed to the early identification of HIV/AIDS in the 1980s epidemic in Australia. Alongside his existing obstetric practice, Molodysky established Australia's first AIDS (HIV) Clinic, the Eastside Medical Centre in Paddington, NSW, focused on the male homosexual/gay community.
He is known for his contribution to research and policy and has been a respected advocate and contributor to preventive medicine across a variety of fields including sexual health, disease prevention and longevity.
Early life and education
Eugen Molodysky was born in Richmond, NSW, Australia.
He was educated at Oatley West Public School, and later at Sydney Technical High School, Sydney.
In 1970, Molodysky began his medical education at The University of Sydney but adjourned his formal studies for a year when presented with an opportunity to study nutrition, exercise, meditation and acupuncture as an integral part of medical care. He attained a Diploma of Acupuncture from the Hong Kong College of Acupuncture.
In 1977, Molodysky would complete his medical degree obtaining a MBBS (now MD) from The University of Sydney and in 1980 received a postgraduate Diploma of Obstetrics from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG). Molodysky would continue his work in the field of obstetrics for the next two decades.
Dr Molodysky was awarded his PhD from The University of Sydney with original research into HPV testing as a screening tool for cervical cancer.
Honours
Molodysky was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2008 for service to medical education, through clinical teaching, curriculum and professional development and research into cervical cancer prevention.
In 2015, he was awarded the ACNEM Braham Rabinov Award.
Notable medical achievements
Dr Molodysky has encouraged more advanced screening methods to be used in mainstream medicine and has identified new methods for screening for cancers and other diseases, translating them into clinical practice.
HIV/AIDS
In 1983, Molodysky identified, diagnosed, and referred Australia's first AIDS (HIV) patient in the Australian primary care setting to Professor Ron Penny at St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney following a negative result with the T-Cell Mediated Immunity (CMI) test. This was before HIV was recognised as the cause of AIDS. He subsequently established the first primary care HIV clinic in Paddington. In the same year, he also established with Dr Thiru Underwood the first primary care Methadone Maintenance Clinic (MMC) in Summer Hill.
HPV screening – cervical cancer risk assessment
In the 1990s, Molodysky pursued his laboratory-based research, under Professor Brian Morris and the clinical application under Professor Charles Bridges-Webb both at the University of Sydney, culminating in his PhD (2000). His PhD thesis (2000), patent and publications which emphasised the screening and early detection of cervical cancer through HPV, contributed to the introduction of routine HPV screening into the Australian primary care setting in 2017.
In 1993, following research into cervical cancer, Molodysky introduced HPV testing as an adjunct to screening for abnormal cervical cells identified on microscopy, to the primary care setting as an early predictor of cervical cancer risk. It was not until September 2017, that HPV DNA (automated PCR) testing became the Australian national standard for the early detection of cervical cancer risk in women, and Australia is now on track to eliminate this cancer as a public health problem by 2028.