Stephen JUAN

JUAN Stephen

Dr Stephen Juan, educator, writer and
explainer of the weird and wonderful,
passed away aged 69.

Born 18 July 1949 in Napa County, California, Stephen passed peacefully after a long struggle with illness on 23 July 2018 in his adopted home town of Sydney.

Fascinated by humans from a young age, Stephen attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he attained a B.A. in Anthropology, M.A. in Education, and Ph.D. in Anthropology and Education.

In 1978, Stephen moved to Australia to teach at the then Department of Education at the University of Sydney, where he taught for more than 30 years before retiring in 2009. Known affectionately by his students as "Dr Stevie", he was dedicated to sharing his passion for knowledge, inspiring the next generation of educators to do the same. As Stephen explained in an ABC Radio interview, "I want to teach students how to be teachers - to spread the word about science, real knowledge - that will enrapture you and change your life, and have fun along the way".

As well as reaching out to his students, Stephen spread his enthusiasm for human sciences with the world at large, writing and publishing 13 books, including the popular 'Odd Body' series, translated into 24 different languages. He was a regular columnist for newspapers including The Sydney Morning Herald and The Sun-Herald, and made hundreds of radio and television appearances on ABC programs including 11 AM, Channel 7's 6.30 Report, and more recently Channel 9's The Today Show. Stephen received a number of awards for his writing and academic contributions, including an international medical print journalism award from the American Medical Association.

Never one to take himself too seriously, Stephen's humour shone through during memorable TV appearances, such as when he wore a full-weight pregnancy suit complete with belly and breasts. Although Stephen suggested this was in order to research the effects of pregnancy on the body, his friends suspected his main motivation was probably just to have a good chuckle.

Stephen leaves behind his brother, Ken, and two children, Alicia and Cassie. He will be remembered at a small private gathering in Sydney.

"If it's about human beings, I want to know all about it. And when I do, I want to tell everyone else about it. Hopefully, they'll want to listen. But even if they don't, I'll probably try to tell them anyway." – Dr Stephen Juan.