Pat Anderson AO appointed as the new Chair of RAHC and is joined on the Board by Janine Mohamed

We are delighted to announce that Ms Pat Anderson AO has been appointed to the Board of RAHC as Chairperson with effect from 28 February 2018.  In addition to Ms Anderson’s appointment, RAHC also welcomes Mrs Janine Mohamed to the Board.

Ms Pat Anderson AO said, “I am happy to be returning to RAHC as Chair and be a part of the important work it does in the NT. The program has been successful, achieving a very high repeat rate of 80% health professionals who return to do placements, with an increasing number wanting to join the permanent workforce in the Territory.

“I thank the previous Chair, Dr Tony Austin AM for his contribution to RAHC towards Closing the Gap in Indigenous health outcomes since its inception in 2008. I am pleased to be working with Janine Mohamed who brings a wealth of experience to the RAHC Board.

Both Ms Anderson and Mrs Mohamed have considerable experience in the Indigenous health space. Ms Anderson is the Chairperson of the Lowitja Institute, Australia’s National Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research. She has spoken before the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous People and was also the chair of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation. Whilst Mrs Mohamed has more than 20 years of experience working in nursing, health workforce, health policy and project management in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, with many years spent in the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Sector at state and national levels. Currently, she is the CEO of the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM).

Ms Anderson and Mrs Mohamed will be joined on the Board by current members, Glenn Keys AO, Louis Clarke and Annette Owttrim.

Outgoing Chair, Dr Tony Austin AM, said “After chairing the RAHC Board since the inception of the company in late 2008 it is time for me to stand down and pass the position on to someone new. I was thrilled to hear that Ms Pat Anderson AO has agreed to take over. Pat is well familiar with RAHC having been a member of the Board in 2011/2012. It goes without saying that her encyclopaedic knowledge of Indigenous health and her stature in this space will be of enormous value to the remote Indigenous communities in the NT where RAHC places health professionals.”

Since 2008, RAHC has provided 5172 health professional placements into remote communities in the Northern Territory, who collectively have provided the equivalent of 460 years of service.