Mike Capra

Michael Francis Capra AM (born c. 1945) is an Australian academic and Emeritus Professor of Occupational Health and Safety Science at the University of Queensland. He is known for his work in the development of occupational health and safety (OHS) education, professional accreditation, and policy in Australia and internationally. In 2020, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).

Capra has been elected a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Health and Safety (formerly the Safety Institute of Australia).

Early life and education

Capra completed a Bachelor of Science (BSc) at the University of Sydney in 1967, followed by a Master of Science (MSc) from the same institution in 1972. He was awarded his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the University of Otago, New Zealand, in 1975, where his research focused on comparative physiology, particularly the cardiorespiratory systems of elasmobranch fish (sharks and rays).

Academic career

Capra began his career as a tutor-demonstrator at the University of Sydney (1969–1971) before undertaking postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Birmingham, UK (1975–1976) and the University of Melbourne (1976–1977).

From 1977 to 1980, Capra held a lectureship in Comparative Physiology at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji. He returned to Australia in 1980 as a Senior Tutor in Physiology at the University of Queensland, before joining the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in 1985 as a Senior Lecturer in Anatomy and Physiology.

In 2003, Capra was appointed Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health and Head of the School of Health Sciences at the University of Newcastle. In 2004, he secured $2.4 million in funding from WorkCover NSW to establish the WorkCover NSW Research Centre of Excellence for Occupational Health and Safety, serving as its inaugural Director from 2005.

Capra joined the University of Queensland in 2007 as Professor of Occupational Health and Safety in the Faculty of Science. At UQ, he developed the Bachelor of Occupational Health and Safety Science, a four-year professional degree that commenced in 2010. In November 2014, Capra retired and was conferred the title of Emeritus Professor of Occupational Health and Safety Science at the University of Queensland.

Contributions to OHS accreditation and professionalism

In 2009, Capra contributed to the development of the national OHS Body of Knowledge as a member of its Technical Panel, co-authoring key chapters. He later served as inaugural Chair of the Australian OHS Education Accreditation Board (2011–2016), overseeing accreditation of all university OHS programs. Under his leadership, the Bachelor of Occupational Health and Safety Science (Honours) at the University of Queensland became the first accredited OHS bachelor program in Australia.

Research

Capra's research career spans multiple disciplines, evolving from comparative animal physiology in the 1970s through marine toxicology and aquaculture in the 1980s and 1990s, to occupational health and safety from the 1990s onward.

Comparative physiology

Capra's early research at the University of Otago and the University of Birmingham focused on the cardiovascular and respiratory physiology of sharks and rays, examining neural and hormonal regulation in species such as the spiny dogfish and Port Jackson shark, contributing to comparative vertebrate physiology.

Ciguatera fish poisoning

From the mid-1980s, Capra led research on ciguatera fish poisoning, examining how ciguatoxin affects nerve conduction in animal models and humans, and helping to characterise symptoms such as reversed temperature perception (cold allodynia). He served as a consultant to NSW Health (1987–2002) and contributed to standard Australian reference texts on foodborne toxins. He also led a project for the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation examining the pharmacology and pathology of ciguatera poisoning.

Aquaculture

During the early 1990s, Capraand his team used allozyme and RAPD-PCR markers to assess genetic variation in wild populations of redclaw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) and studied growth performance, salinity tolerance, and reproductive biology in several commercially significant species including silver perch (Bidyanus bidyanus) and trumpeter whiting (Sillago maculata).

Occupational health and safety

From the mid-1990s, Capra studied heat stress in firefighters wearing protective suits, PAH exposure in aluminium smelter workers and contamination of firefighting gear, and pesticide exposure in agriculture, alongside research on hearing and respiratory protection and the psychological impacts of personal protective equipment (PPE) use. Recently his research group have examined how OHS professionals influence organisational decision-making, including the strategies used to persuade managers.

Awards and honours

• British Council Travel Award (1975)
• Distinguished Academic Service Award, Faculty of Health Science, QUT (1990)
• Fellow of the Safety Institute of Australia (elected 2001)
• Harold Greenwood Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award (2019) – the most prestigious award presented by the Australian Institute of Health and Safety, recognising his lifetime contribution to health and safety, particularly OHS education
• Member of the Order of Australia (AM) (2020)

Selected publications

• Capra, M.F.; Satchell, G.H. (1977). "The differential haemodynamic responses of the elasmobranch Squalus acanthias to adrenaline and noradrenaline". Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. 58 (1C): 41–47.
• Cameron, J.; Flowers, A.E.; Capra, M.F. (1991). "Effects of ciguatoxin on nerve excitability in rats". Journal of the Neurological Sciences. 101 (1): 87–92. doi:10.1016/0022-510X(91)90022-4 (inactive 1 July 2026).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2026 (link)
• Cameron, J.; Flowers, A.E.; Capra, M.F. (1991). "Electrophysiological studies on ciguatera poisoning in man". Journal of the Neurological Sciences. 101 (1): 93–97. doi:10.1016/0022-510X(91)90023-5 (inactive 1 July 2026).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2026 (link)
• Richardson, Janet E.; Capra, Michael F. (2001). "Physiological responses of firefighters wearing level 3 chemical protective suits while working in controlled hot environments". Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 43 (12): 1064–1072. doi:10.1097/00043764-200112000-00006. PMID 11765675.
• Capra, M.; Pryor, P. (2013). "OHS university education: a critical role in the move to professionalism in a changing landscape". Journal of Health, Safety and Environment. 29 (1): 101.
• Madigan, C.; Way, K.; Capra, M.; Johnstone, K. (2020). "Influencing organisational decision-makers – what influence tactics are OHS professionals using?". Safety Science. 121: 496–506. doi:10.1016/j.ssci.2019.01.013.
• Pryor, P.; Capra, M. (2026). "Foundation Science". The Core Body of Knowledge for Generalist OHS Professionals (3rd ed.). Australian Institute of Health and Safety.