Quick Facts
Biography
Sandra Eades (born 1967) is a Noongar physician, researcher and professor, and the first Aboriginal medical practitioner to be awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy in 2003. She was also recognized as the NSW (New South Wales) Woman of the Year for 2006.
Early life
Sandra Eades was born in Mount Barker, Western Australia and at the age of 12 moved to Perth 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.
Work
Eades worked in the public hospital system after graduating from medical school, and was a general practitioner with the Aboriginal Medical Service for seven years. She began her career researching the epidemiology of Indigenous child health in Australia at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research. Her first research opportunity into causes of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in Aboriginal infants in Western Australia, was introduced to her by 2003 Australian of the Year, Fiona Stanley. She has been recognized 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, Eades has been the recipient of a number of grants for research in Indigenous health studies. She is a senior research fellow at The Sax Institute in Sydney, and an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney.
Recognition
Sandra Eades's work in pediatric and perinatal epidemiology has improved the lives of Aboriginal women and children.
- 2005: Deadly award for Outstanding Achievement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, which she dedicated to her three-year-old child.
- 2006: NSW Woman of the Year. Nominated by Frank Sartor, the Minister for Science and Medical Research.
- 2014: Elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (FAHMS).