Patricia Anderson

Indigenous health advocate

2007 NT Senior Australian of the Year

Pat Anderson has a national and international reputation as a powerful advocate for the disadvantaged, with a particular focus on Indigenous health. She chairs the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health, an exciting collaboration of twelve organisations representing researchers, policy makers, and service delivery agencies working to improve Indigenous health. Pat has spoken before the UN Working Group on Indigenous People and has extensive experience in all aspects of Indigenous health, including community development, advocacy, policy formulation, and research ethics. She is a prolific writer who has published many essays, papers, and articles. Until recently, Pat held the position of Executive Officer of the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory, which is the peak body of the Aboriginal community health organisations in the Northern Territory, and is currently a board member of Beyondblue, the bipartisan initiative of federal, state, and territory governments aimed at raising community awareness about depression.