Please be aware that this website may contain images, voices or names of deceased persons in the photographs, film, audio recordings or printed material.
Past directors of the Lowitja Institute and associated CRCs include:
Professor Greg Anderson
Professor Greg Anderson is Head of the Iron Metabolism Laboratory of the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, as well as a Senior Research Fellow of the NHMRC. He also has adjunct appointments in the School of Chemical and Molecular Biosciences and the School of Medicine at the University of Queensland and Griffith University. His major research interests lie in understanding the molecular basis of iron homeostasis and diseases associated with disturbances in iron metabolism. He retains a strong interest in the biology of other metals, notably copper and manganese. Professor Anderson’s research has led to over 140 publications, including contributions to journals such as Nature Genetics, Cell, New England Journal of Medicine, PNAS, Lancet, Gastroenterology, Blood, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Hepatology and Gut. His work has been funded predominantly by the NHMRC, but also by the ARC and US NIH. Professor Anderson has gained very strong national and international recognition in the field of iron biology and has made many contributions to his discipline. He was elected to the inaugural Board of the International Bioiron Society (2003–2007), and is currently the President of the Society. He is also a foundation Council member of the International Biometals Society (2010–present). Within Australia he convenes the Australian Biometals Group, has served on the Council of the Australian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and has served on the Research Committee of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia for a decade. He chairs the Industry Professional Advisory Board for the School of Biomolecular and Physical Sciences at Griffith University, and the Program Advisory Committee for the X-ray fluorescence microscopy beamline of the Australian Synchrotron. He has previously headed the Cancer and Cell Biology Division and the Population Studies and Human Genetics Division at QIMR Berghofer. At QIMR Berghofer, Professor Anderson oversees the management of Indigenous health research.
Mr Russell Taylor AM
Born and raised in Millers Point, an inner city Sydney waterfront suburb that today forms part of the tourist precinct area known as ‘The Rocks’, Mr Taylor proudly identifies as a Kamilaroi man with family connection to La Perouse in Sydney and to traditional country in the New England area of New South Wales. Mr Taylor is a current member of the Council of the University of Technology Sydney, a member of the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Advisory Council, and he is a member of Charles Darwin University’s Vice Chancellor's Indigenous Advisory Committee. He is a former Chief Executive Officer of the New South Wales Aboriginal Housing Office, a former member of the University of Canberra Council, and a founding and former Director of the Australian Indigenous Leadership Centre. He has a recognised record of leadership in the Indigenous community and wide-ranging expertise in a diversity of public administration and related strategic management fields. His career includes more than 20 years in various public sector Senior Executive Service positions including terms with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, the Aboriginal Development Commission and previously as Principal at AIATSIS (1997–2003). Mr Taylor’s career also includes 20 years in the banking and finance sector. Mr Taylor’s academic qualifications include Graduate Diploma qualifications in Public Sector Management (UTS) and Arts (ANU) and a Master of Business Administration (UTS).
Ms Robynne Quiggin
Ms Robynne Quiggin is a Wiradjuri lawyer with family connections in the central western NSW towns of Euabalong, Lake Cargelligo and Condobolin. She has lived and worked for most of her life in Sydney. Ms Quiggin practiced as a solicitor for 15 years specialising in legal and cultural issues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, including intellectual property and consumer protection laws, criminal justice issues, human rights, and laws and protocols to protect and maintain Indigenous knowledge, cultural heritage and all kinds of artistic expression. She worked as a senior researcher and law lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney, Macquarie University and the University of Notre Dame. She has also participated in a number of United Nations human rights and biodiversity forums. She was the inaugural CEO of the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute, a national organisation dedicated to supporting excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander governance. She was Senior Manager of ASIC’s Indigenous Outreach Program assisting Indigenous consumers to resolve issues with providers of financial services including banking, credit, insurance and superannuation, as well as raising awareness with industry about cultural and regulatory issues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Ms Quiggin has served on the boards of the Arts Law Centre of Australia, Gadigal Information Services (incorporating Koori Radio) and the Council of AIATSIS. She is currently deputy chair of Bangarra Dance Theatre, chair of Westpac’s Indigenous Advisory Group and a Trustee of the Australian Museum. Robynne also recently co-chaired the Working Group and Drafting Group which developed the Indigenous Investment Principles.
Mr Robin Lonergan
Mr Robin Lonergan, a lawyer whose area of practice includes contract, commercial and corporate law, is a partner at TressCox Lawyers in Brisbane. He is the honorary advisor to the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses Inc., and has provided advice on the incorporation of the company limited by guarantee and on negotiations with additional service providers. Mr Lonergan is a Director of the Queensland Program of Assistance for the Survivors of Torture and Trauma, which provides assistance to refugees, and has served as a Director on the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra and the South Brisbane Immigration and Community Legal Service Boards. He provides legal advice to Aboriginal community organisations including the Brisbane Indigenous Media Association and other not-for-profit organisations.
Louise Morauta PSM
Dr Louise Morauta comes originally from England and has an Honours degree in Sociology and a PhD in Social Anthropology from the London School of Economics. Based in Canberra, Dr Morauta has worked in the Commonwealth public service for more than 20 years, and has held senior executive positions in the departments of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Health and Ageing, and Finance. She has played a part in the development of social policy, Medicare benefits, pharmaceutical benefits and Commonwealth / State financing in the health sector. In 2005 Dr Morauta was awarded the Public Service Medal for work on Australia’s health financing arrangements and the supply of blood and blood products. Following her retirement from the public service, Dr Morauta was appointed to the ACT Human Research Ethics Committee in January 2010.
Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver AM
Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver, a Koori woman, was appointed to the School of Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in 2003. She is experienced in developing solutions to improve population health outcomes for disadvantaged groups and communities, holds the Inaugural Chair of Indigenous Health and is a Professor of Public Health at the UNSW. Lisa is a Wing Commander in the RAAF Specialist Reserve and is currently serving 39 Squadron Canberra. Lisa is also the co-founder of the Shalom Gamarada Scholarship Program and has been the recipient of the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council and the Ministry of Science and Medical Research awards. In 2011 Lisa became a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia 'For service to medical education, particularly through the Muru Marri Indigenous Health Unit at the University of New South Wales, and as a supporter of educational opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people'. She is a member of a number of committees and working groups, including the Scientific Resource Group on Equity and Health Analysis and Research, World Health Organisation; the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Research Advisory Committee of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC); the Advisory Group on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Statistics (AGATSIS), the Indigenous Technical Panel (ITP) and the Australian Health Survey Reference Group at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). She is Deputy Chairperson for the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council’s National Advisory Group on Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health Information and Data (NAGATSIHID).
Mr Justin Mohamed
Mr Justin Mohamed is a Gooreng Gooreng man from Bundaberg in Queensland. He worked with Victorian Aboriginal communities for 20 years, including as Chairperson of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO). Mr Mohamed started out in the health sector in his early 20s in a junior role at the Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative – an Aboriginal medical service in Victoria. Over two decades, he worked his way up from a youth worker to health services manager, CEO and then Chairperson. He chaired the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, and he served as NACCHO’s Deputy Chair for two years before being elected Chair in 2009. He has been co-Chair of the National Health Leadership Forum, sits on numerous health advisory committees and played an instrumental role in the development of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan. Mr Mohamed is a strong advocate for the rights and self-determination of Aboriginal people and fights for the recognition of more than 150 Aboriginal community controlled primary health services as key to closing the appalling gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health outcomes.