Jo McCubbin: Paediatrician, Environmental Advocate, and Champion for Children’s Health

In 2026, Jo McCubbin is a name to be reckoned with in paediatrics, environmental activism and UK conservation. Jo is a former Australian Democrats and Independent political candidate, a former long term partner of BBC wildlife presenter Chris Packham, and a senior paediatrician based in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, who has been active in the fields of children’s health, community well-being, and environmental protection for many years. She maintains a low profile in public but her legacy lives on in the work she does with animals, in political campaigns, and in her daughter Megan McCubbin, a prominent zoologist and wildlife presenter.

Who is Jo McCubbin? The journey from Nursing to Paediatrics and Public Service.

Who is Jo McCubbin? The journey from Nursing to Paediatrics and Public Service.

Jo McCubbin is an established senior paediatrician and MBBS FRACP with a great reputation throughout Gippsland. She practices general paediatrics, and has been working in recent years with children with autism and behavioural issues. She accepts all new referrals and provides an outreach paediatric service at Orbost, Lakes Entrance and Bairnsdale.

Prior to medicine, Jo was a nurse in the UK with the NHS, and served on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Values are intertwined with her professional life, but she has values regarding nature, equality, and community well being.

Key career facts:

• Occupation: Paediatrician, Political candidate
• This project is located in Sale, Gippsland, Victoria, Australia.
• Training: Applied Psychology – Specialist in Autism and Behavioural Disorders
• The Regional clinics are located around East Gippsland.Outreach: Regional clinics are all over East Gippsland.

Jo’s love and reverence for nature led her to have developed a worldview that combines empathy with action. She feels the health of children is bound up in the health of their environment.

The Australian Democrats and Independents, and environmental activism were all significant aspects of Political Career.

As a dedicated environmentalist, Jo McCubbin has gone into politics to fight for a healthy planet for all children.

Electoral history:

• Australian Democrats candidate for the 1999 State election Council of the Victorian Province of Gippsland
• Re-run of 2002 Victorian state election on 30 November 2002, ran as an Australian Democrat candidate.
• Went on the stand in the Victorian State Election (South Gippsland) in the Legislative Assembly on 25 November 2006 as an Independent.

Her profile says that she is an environmental activist and was also one of the founding members of the Gippsland Women’s Network. She’s also a member of the Project Management Committee of the East Gippsland Arts Network and Doctors for the Environment.

Family heritage:

Jo can trace her lineage to the legacy of Australian artist Frederick McCubbin, who was a great advocate of the arts and the environment.

Mediation, co-parenting, conservation and private life—these are the three elements of The Chris Packham Connection.

People typing in the search query “Chris Packham wife”, will discover Jo McCubbin. Chris and Jo were not married, but were long term partners. Jo is most remembered as Megan’s mum and Chris’s partner for many years. When Jo began dating Chris, he was two years older than Megan.Chris is two years older than Megan when they start dating.

Relationship timeline:

• Megan’s longtime childhood friends
• Splintered around 2008, shortly after Megan’s birth but they never lost contact.
• Having a focus on co-parenting and Megan’s wellbeing

Jo McCubbin has worked as a nurse and has a lower profile in the public arena, before she joined paediatrics. Chris, Jo and Megan have become committed to wildlife conservation, which has influenced Megan’s career, despite the division.

Born in Southampton, Hampshire, on 4th May 1961, Chris Packham attended the University of Southampton, graduating with a BSc in zoology in 1984. He is a familiar name for The Really Wild Show, Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch.

The Making of a Wildlife TV Star: Megan McCubbin

Jo McCubbin is considered to be the power behind Megan McCubbin’s success. Born in 1995, Megan is a renowned wildlife presenter, naturalist and zoologist now.

Jo’s influence:

• Bred with values for the environment from an early age — chasing butterflies, exploring the countryside.
• Encouraged Zoology studies and Conservation career
• Though supported behind the scenes, putting up a low profile to allow Megan and Chris to stand tall.Supported behind the scenes, putting up a low profile so Megan and Chris can stand tall.

Megan’s value journey was built on family values and nurturing spirit.

Jo’s family background is one that is concerned with nature and animals. The base built on that earned Megan the status of a rising star in wildlife television and wildlife awareness in the media.

The key family dynamic:

Jo and Chris’s love for nature and conservation rubbed off on everyone in their family.

This unit explores the core aspects of clinical work in the context of autism and behavioural disorders, as well as the importance of regional outreach for clinical work.

Dr Jo McCubbin is still a senior paediatrician at Fitzpatrick House in Gippsland in 2026.

Her focus areas:

• Provide general paediatric care to all children
• Focus on Autism and Behavioural problems
• Orbost, Lakes Entrance and Bairnsdale outreach clinics.

She is accepting all new referrals and is well known for her clinical skills and her community advocacy. Her passion for environmental health is rooted in her conviction that children’s health is tightly interconnected with environmental health and therefore shapes her practice and activism.

Legacy and Impact: Why Jo McCubbin Matters in 2026

Jo McCubbin has three areas of impact:

1. Healthcare

As a paediatrician with a specialist interest in autism, she works in a region of Victoria where specialist services are scarce. Her outreach model takes care to rural communities.

2. Environmental Politics

She was a former Australian Democrats and Independent candidate, and a leading voice in bringing environmental health onto the political agenda in Gippsland. She’s part of Doctors for the Environment, linking clinical work with planetary health.

3. Conservation Culture

Megan McCubbin was the mother of two of the UK’s most visible wildlife advocates – Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin. Her personal and values-based approach demonstrates that influence is not “in the spotlight”.

In 2026, Jo’s combined work in paediatric health and environmental issues is even more pertinent as climate anxiety among children increases and autism diagnosis rates climb.

The IPCC and the story of the climate-change scandal: Jo McCubbin vs Other McCubbins

Jo McCubbin vs Other McCubbins

“Jo McCubbin” also shows up in searches:

• Dr Jo McCubbin MBBS FRACP (Gippsland paediatrician)
• Jo McCubbin, Megan’s mother and former partner of Chris Packham, a nurse at the NHS.
• Hamilton I. McCubbin, D-Index 48 is a researcher in the field of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• Ian McCubbin is the OVC Baseball Player of the Week with Morehead State University.
• On Zach Top: Cold Beer & Country Music Tour 2026, Wyatt McCubbin joins as a country artist.

Important:

Jo McCubbin of the paediatrician/environmentalist field and Chris Packham’s partner Jo McCubbin are the same person, and have a career in UK nursing and Australian medicine and politics.

FAQ: Jo McCubbin 2026

Is Jo McCubbin Chris Packham’s wife?

No. They were a long time together, but never wed. They split around 2008.

What type of job does Jo McCubbin have?

Senior Paediatrician – specializing in autism and behavioural disorders – Gippsland. Former NHS nurse.

Is Jo McCubbin a Politician?

She was a candidate for Australian Democrats in 1999, 2002 and as Independent in 2006.

What is Jo Mc Cubbin’s address?

Victoria, Australia; Sale. Originally UK.

Who is Jo McCubbin related to Megan McCubbin?

Megan’s mother. Grew up with Chris Packham.

Are Jo McCubbin and Frederick McCubbin cousins?

Yes, she is a descendant of Australian artist Frederick McCubbin.