Sandra Eades facts for kids

Sandra Eades was born in 1967. She is a doctor, a scientist, and a professor from the Noongar community. She made history in 2003 as the first Aboriginal doctor to earn a Doctorate of Philosophy (a very high university degree). Since March 2020, she has been the Dean of Medicine at Curtin University. This means she leads the medical school there.

Early Life and Education

Sandra Eades was born in a place called Mount Barker, Western Australia. When she was 12, her family moved to Perth. In primary school, she dreamed of becoming a doctor. However, she worried that as an Aboriginal girl, she might not get the chance.

In 1985, at 17, she went to the University of Newcastle. She was one of only four Aboriginal students chosen for a special program to study medicine. Later, she earned her PhD from the University of Western Australia in 2003.

Sandra's Career in Medicine

After finishing medical school, Dr. Eades worked in public hospitals. She also spent seven years as a general practitioner at the Aboriginal Medical Service. This service helps Aboriginal people with their health.

She started her research career by studying the health of Indigenous children in Australia. This work happened at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research. Her first big research chance came from Fiona Stanley, who was named Australian of the Year in 2003. Fiona Stanley asked Sandra to look into why some Aboriginal babies had Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Dr. Eades became known for finding links between things like housing and the health of babies.

Research and Leadership

Dr. Eades led the Indigenous Maternal and Child Health section at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute. She also worked as an Associate Head of Preventative Health Research there. During this time, she received many grants to study Indigenous health.

From 2004 to 2008, she was a senior research fellow at The Sax Institute in Sydney. She also taught at the University of Sydney from 2012 to 2013. In 2008, she moved to Melbourne and joined the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute. Later, in 2018, she became the Associate Dean Indigenous at the University of Melbourne.

In March 2020, Dr. Eades was chosen to be the Dean of the Curtin Medical School. This is a very important leadership role.

Awards and Special Honours

Dr. Eades's work has greatly helped the health of Aboriginal women and children. She focuses on pediatric (children's health) and perinatal (around birth) health.

Here are some of the awards she has received:

• 2005: She won a Deadly award for her amazing work in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health. She dedicated this award to her three-year-old child.
• 2006: She was named NSW Woman of the Year. Frank Sartor, a government minister, nominated her for this award.
• 2014: She was chosen as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (FAHMS). This is a high honour for health experts.
• 2015: She was the first person to win the Lowitja Institute Cranlana Award.
• 2020: She was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (FASSA).
• 2022: She was made an Officer of the Order of Australia. This award recognized her "distinguished service to medical research, to Indigenous health, and to professional organisations."
• 2023: She was elected as an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE).