Our team

Associate Professor Kate Anderson is a researcher based on the Sunshine Coast who has worked as an ally in collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers and communities for more than 15 years. Her research spans areas such as cancer, kidney disease, and wellbeing. Currently, her program of research at the Yardhura Walani Centre focuses on understanding and measuring the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across their lifespan. She has extensive qualitative research skills and has published over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles.

Bio coming soon!

Makayla-May Brinckley is a Wiradjuri woman from Cootamundra. Makayla is a PhD student and research assistant in the National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research, with much of her work based within the Mayi Kuwayu Study. Her PhD focuses on developing a knowledge translation method for use in the Mayi Kuwayu Study. Makayla is passionate about holistic health and wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Professor Ray Lovett is an Aboriginal (Wongaibon/Ngiyampaa) man from western NSW. Ray is a social epidemiologist with extensive experience in health research, public health policy development and evaluation, and is the Mayi Kuwayu Study Director in the National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research at the Australian National University. Prior to his research career, he was a health policy advisor in the Aboriginal health workforce. He has a clinical background as a registered nurse and Aboriginal health worker.

Ray is recognised nationally for his work in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care research. His work includes integrating culture and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research ethics.

Associate Professor Lisa Whop is a Gumulgal woman from the Wagadagam tribe of Mabuiag Island in the Torres Strait and is Australia’s leading authority on cervical cancer control in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. Lisa is an Indigenist epidemiologist with experience in implementation health research to develop, inform and change public health policy, guidelines and practice. Lisa has extensive research experience in cancer control leading large multijurisdictional administrative linked data studies, qualitative studies and implementation trials. She holds a National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Grant and leads a research program dedicated to eliminating cervical cancer for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. She is incoming Chair of the Cancer Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Committee on Cancer Control.

Katie Thurber is a non-Indigenous researcher originally from the United States. She has lived on Ngunnawal/Ngambri Country since 2011 and has been working with the Mayi Kuwayu Study team since 2016, currently as an NHMRC Early Career Fellow.

She completed her PhD at the ANU on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s health, supervised by Ray Lovett.

Emily Banks is a public health physician and epidemiologist with interest and expertise in chronic disease, tobacco control, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and healthy ageing. The main emphasis of her work has been in using large-scale evidence to identify actions to improve health and health care, at an individual and population level.

She is Head of the Centre for Public Health Data and Policy at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, an NHMRC Principal Research Fellow, Chair of the NHMRC Health Research Impact Committee, Member of NHMRC Council, Deputy Chair of the Heart Foundation Research Committee and a Visiting Professor at Oxford University.