Kimina Andersen Lowitja Institute International Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Conference 2016

Kimina Andersen

Kimina Andersen is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman with maternal ties to the Wuthathi peoples of Cape York and to Darnley Island in the Torres Strait. Her paternal heritage is Wakka Wakka from the Cherbourg region in SE Queensland. She is social worker with more than 20 years’ experience in Indigenous mental health and wellbeing in both the Community and public health sector. She is the Program Director of the Way Forward: An Indigenous approach to wellbeing program in Queensland Health. Kimina was a co-investigator on Australia’s largest study focusing specifically on the mental health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in custody and the recent study focused on exploring the prevalence, correlates and experience of PTSD amongst Indigenous women in custody. She advocates for the provision of culturally secure mental health and AOD services and systems for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and promotes Indigenous leadership for Indigenous mental health and AOD services.