Sandra Eades (born 1967) is a

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...

physician, researcher and professor, and the first Aboriginal medical practitioner to be awarded a

Doctorate of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

in 2003. As of March 2020 she is Dean of Medicine at

Curtin University Curtin University, formerly known as Curtin University of Technology and Western Australian Institute of Technology (WAIT), is an Australian public research university based in Bentley, Perth, Western Australia. It is named after John Curtin, ...

Early life and education

Sandra Eades was born in

Mount Barker, Western Australia Mount Barker is a town on Albany Highway and the administrative centre of the Shire of Plantagenet in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. At the 2021 census, Mount Barker had a population of 2,855. The town was named after the nea ...

and at the age of 12 moved to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

with her family. In primary school she wanted to be a doctor but thought she would not have that opportunity as an Aboriginal girl. In 1985, at the age of 17, she arrived at University of Newcastle as one of four Aboriginal students selected for a special program to study medicine. She graduated from the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

with a PhD in 2003.

Career

Eades worked in the public hospital system after graduating from medical school, and was a general practitioner with the

Aboriginal Medical Service Aboriginal Medical Services Redfern, known as AMS Redfern, formerly the Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) is an Aboriginal Australian health service in the Sydney suburb of Redfern. Established around 1971, it was the first Aboriginal community- ...

for seven years. She began her career researching the epidemiology of Indigenous child health in Australia at the

Telethon Institute for Child Health Research The Telethon Kids Institute is an Australian medical research institute focused on the prevention of paediatric disease and the development of improved treatments to improve the health and wellbeing of children. Telethon Kids has developed a p ...

. Her first research opportunity into causes of

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden unexplained death of a child of less than one year of age. Diagnosis requires that the death remain unexplained even after a thorough autopsy and detailed death scene investigation. SIDS usuall ...

(SIDS) in Aboriginal infants in Western Australia, was introduced to her by 2003

Australian of the Year The Australian of the Year is a national award conferred on an Australian citizen by the National Australia Day Council, a not-for-profit Australian Governmentowned social enterprise. Similar awards are also conferred at the State and Territo ...

Fiona Stanley Fiona Juliet Stanley (born 1 August 1946) is an Australian epidemiologist noted for her public health work, her research into child and maternal health as well as birth disorders such as cerebral palsy. Stanley is the patron of the Telethon Kid ...

. She has been recognised for "identifying links between social factors such as housing and infant health". As Head of Indigenous Maternal and Child Health, and Associate Head of Preventative Health Research at

Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute The Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, commonly known as the Baker Institute, is an Australian independent medical research research institute, institute headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. Established in 1926, the instit ...

, Eades won a number of grants for research in Indigenous health studies. She was senior research fellow at The Sax Institute in Sydney from 2004 to 2008, and an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the School of Public Health at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

from 2012 to 2013. Moving to Melbourne in mid-2008 she joined the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and in 2018 she became Associate Dean Indigenous at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

. Eades was appointed Dean of the Curtin Medical School in March 2020.

Awards and honours

Eades's work in

pediatric Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

and

perinatal Prenatal development () includes the development of the embryo and of the fetus during a viviparous animal's gestation. Prenatal development starts with fertilization, in the germinal stage of embryonic development, and continues in fetal devel ...

epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...

has improved the lives of Aboriginal women and children. * 2005: Deadly award for Outstanding Achievement in Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia, they are often grouped ...

Health, which she dedicated to her three-year-old child. * 2006: NSW Woman of the Year. Nominated by

Frank Sartor Francesco Ernest "Frank" Sartor AO (born 9 November 1951) is a former Australian politician who served as New South Wales Minister for Climate Change and the Environment and Minister Assisting the Minister for Health (Cancer) between 2009 and 2 ...

, the Minister for Science and Medical Research. * 2014: Elected Fellow of the

Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences The Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences is an academy to promote health and medical sciences in Australia. It was established in June 2014. It cites "The Academy will serve the three purposes identified as of high priority in the 20 ...

(FAHMS). *2015: Inaugural winner, Lowitja Institute Cranlana Award *2020: Elected Fellow of the

Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) is an independent, non-governmental organisation devoted to the advancement of knowledge and research in the social sciences. It has its origins in the Social Science Research Council of Austr ...

(FASSA). *2022: Officer of the Order of Australia for "distinguished service to medical research, to Indigenous health, and to professional organisations"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eades, Sandra 1967 births Living people Australian women medical doctors Australian medical doctors Australian public health doctors Australian medical researchers Scientists from Western Australia University of Newcastle (Australia) alumni University of Newcastle School of Medicine alumni University of Western Australia alumni Officers of the Order of Australia Fellows of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Fellows of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences Australian general practitioners Australian paediatricians Women pediatricians Women epidemiologists Women public health doctors Noongar people