The Clifford Craig Medical Research Trust was established in 1992 by the community of Northern Tasmania

Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

 to be an independent, non-profit organisation interested in discovering and sharing better treatments of disease. The organisation is named in honour of the late Dr. Clifford Craig who served as surgeon

Surgeon

In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...

 and superintendent

Health administration

Health administration or healthcare administration is the field relating to leadership, management, and administration of hospitals, hospital networks, health care systems, and public health systems...

 of the Launceston General Hospital

Launceston General Hospital

The Launceston General Hospital is one of the three main public hospitals in Tasmania, Australia. It is located in Launceston and serves the north of the state...

 as well as a radiologist and historian

Historian

A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...

.

Mission

The founding vision in 1992 was to create a world-class medical research institute in Northern Tasmania with a strong focus on the disease

Disease

A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...

s that affect the local community. The Clifford Craig Medical Research Trust was responsible for building the research centre on level 5 of the Launceston General Hospital, where its office are located. The organisation funded 82 medical research projects to date.

Leadership

The first Executive Officer appointed to the Trust was Toni Maloney, followed by Phil Baker. In 2007 the Trust appointed Michael Ferguson as Chief Executive Officer

Chief executive officer

A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...

. In November 2009, former Southern Cross Television

Southern Cross Television

Southern Cross Television, or Southern Cross, is an Australian television network available in Tasmania, Darwin, Regional South Australia, and Central Australia. Although the programming varies from region to region, all areas are affiliated with the Seven Network and, in some areas, have a dual...

marketing manager Peter Milne was appointed Chief Executive Officer to replace Michael Ferguson who resigned to stand as a candidate for the seat of Bass in the Tasmanian state election.