Make the Days Count | Occasional Address, Prof Mehrdad Nikfarjam OAM | Deakin University 2026

On 24 September 2026, I was honoured to deliver the Occasional Address at Deakin University's Faculty of Health graduation ceremony. This video opens with the academic procession, accompanied by a live didgeridoo performance, followed by the address in full. It closes with the message I left the graduates with: make the days count. To every graduate, and to the families, friends and teachers who helped you get there: congratulations. ABOUT THE SPEAKER Professor Mehrdad Nikfarjam OAM is a Professor of Surgery and a hepatopancreaticobiliary (liver, pancreas and bile duct) surgeon in Melbourne, affiliated with the University of Melbourne and Austin Health. His research focuses on pancreatic cancer, and in 2011 he founded the Pancare Foundation. I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which this ceremony took place, and pay my respects to Elders past and present. Footage courtesy of Deakin University. #DeakinUniversity #Graduation2026 #OccasionalAddress