Prof Keith Burgess

Who Prof Keith Burgess is

Professor Keith Burgess is an Australian respiratory and sleep physician practising at the Peninsula Respiratory Group in Frenchs Forest, Sydney, and is affiliated with Northern Beaches Hospital. He completed his medical training at the University of Sydney, undertook specialist respiratory training at Concord and St Vincent's Hospitals, and holds a Master of Science in Physiology from the University of Calgary and a PhD in medicine awarded in 2002. As of 2021 he holds the position of Clinical Professor of Medicine at Macquarie University. He has served as president (also described as chair) of the Medical Staff Council at Northern Beaches Hospital, in which role he has publicly raised concerns about patient safety, adverse-event reporting systems, and the impact of the hospital's public-private partnership model on clinical standards. He has been quoted arguing that the reclassification of the hospital as a lower-level facility following its return to public ownership could render certain complex procedures, such as cardiothoracic surgery, unavailable to patients.

References for this biography

1. 1.Whistleblowers say warnings about patient safety at Northern Beaches Hospital were ignored — ABC News — Establishes his role as president of the Medical Staff Council, his public statements on adverse-event reporting failures, and his account of the chaotic hospital opening in 2018.
2. 2.Warnings about patient safety at Northern Beaches Hospital ignored — ABC News (7.30 transcript) — Confirms his title as chair/president of the medical staff council and his on-record statements about clinical conditions at the hospital.
3. 3.Prof Keith Burgess — Respiratory & Sleep Physician, The Mater Hospital, North Sydney — Establishes his medical training background, PhD, and founding of the first sleep laboratory on the Northern Beaches.
4. 4.Prof Keith Burgess — Zable specialist profile — Confirms Clinical Professor of Medicine at Macquarie University (from 2021), prior University of Sydney professorship, and his practice at Peninsula Respiratory Group.
5. 5.NSW Buys Northern Beaches Hospital — $190M Deal — Confirms his role as president of the medical staff council and his public argument that reclassification of the hospital could make certain complex surgeries unavailable.
6. 6.Peninsula Respiratory Group — practice website — Confirms his current clinical practice at Peninsula Respiratory Group, Frenchs Forest, and its proximity to Northern Beaches Hospital.

Notable achievements

• Established the first sleep laboratory on Sydney's Northern Beaches in 1993, now operating as a fully accredited sleep clinic. Source ↗
• Awarded a PhD in medicine in 2002 and received international recognition for research into sleep and the control of breathing at high altitude. Source ↗
• Appointed Clinical Professor of Medicine at Macquarie University as of 2021, having previously held a Clinical Professor position at the University of Sydney from 2016 to 2020. Source ↗
• As president of the Medical Staff Council, submitted evidence to the NSW parliamentary inquiry into the safety and quality of health services at Northern Beaches Hospital, raising concerns about the Riskman adverse-event reporting system being grossly underused. Source ↗

Where Prof Keith Burgess has been quoted

1. NSW to buy back private Northern Beaches hospital for $190mtheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Related media coverage

Recent UK press coverage of their topics — not necessarily citing them directly.

• Leaders in Care Awards 2026 | Lifetime Achievement: Care Homes winner revealedHome Care Insight
• GP architect of neighbourhood health reforms to leave NHS EnglandPulse Today
• An important step forward in ending corridor care - Colin Poolman | Blog | RCN ScotlandRoyal College of Nursing

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://peninsularespiratory.com/
• Staff pagehttps://www.svph.org.au/specialists/prof-keith-burgess-respiratory-sleep-physician
• Staff pagehttps://northernbeacheshospital.com.au/services/medical-subspecialties

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.