Norman Swan

Norman Swan (born Norman Swirsky in 1953) is a Scottish-born Australian physician, journalist and broadcaster.

Life and career Swan was born in Glasgow, Scotland, as Norman Swirsky. He wanted to be an actor, but instead went to medical school at the University of Aberdeen graduating in 1976.

Swan moved to Australia to continue his training but transitioned from medicine when he became a producer and broadcaster with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1982. From March 2020 until November 2023 Swan co-hosted Coronacast, a podcast about pandemics and the coronavirus. This has been replaced with a podcast titled What's That Rash.

On ABC TV, Swan has presented both Catalyst and Quantum, is an occasional reporter on Four Corners, including an exposé of egregious doctors' fees. He is currently a regular reporter and commentator on 7.30. On commercial television, he has appeared on the Australian version of The Biggest Loser as the resident health expert.

Swan was awarded the Gold Walkley in 1988 for revealing scientific fraud conducted by gynaecologist William McBride. Swan's investigation sent "shock waves throughout the medical world" and led to McBride's deregistration as a medical practitioner. He was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences in 2022.

Two books of his became bestsellers, So You Think You Know What's Good For You (2021 Hachette Australia) and So You Want To Live Younger Longer (2022 Hachette). The latest is So You Want to Know What's Good For your Kids, also published by Hachette in July 2024.

Personal life Swan married Kate Hamann, an ABC radio producer, in June 2024. It is his third marriage after being divorced twice.

Swan's son Jonathan is a political correspondent, firstly for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, then The Hill, Axios, and currently the New York Times. Swan's daughter Anna was seriously injured in an electric bike accident on a 2016 trip to Italy. Swan experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), blaming himself for not hiring helmets for the bikes,

Swan was appointed as a Member the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2023 Australia Day Honours for "significant service to the broadcast media as a science and health commentator".