Rate My Professor Gail Garvey

Professor Gail Garvey AM is a proud Kamilaroi woman and NHMRC Investigator Leadership Fellow serving as Professor of Indigenous Health Research in the School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Queensland. Holding a Doctor of Philosophy from Charles Darwin University, as well as BEd and MEd qualifications, she originally trained as a teacher before beginning her research career at the University of Newcastle in the 1990s. There, she conducted pioneering work on the recruitment and retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical students. Over three decades, Professor Garvey has engaged in extensive national and international research collaborations, securing more than $50 million in grant funding since 2011. Notable grants include the NHMRC Investigator Leadership Grant (NHMRC #1176651, 2020-2024) and leadership of the Centre of Research Excellence in Targeted Approaches to Improve Cancer Services (TACTICS) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians (NHMRC #1153027, 2019-2023).

Professor Garvey's research program targets cancer outcomes and wellbeing among Australia's First Nations peoples, emphasizing psychosocial aspects of cancer care and health services research. She was among the first to document cancer's profound impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, informing policy and practice reforms to enhance outcomes. Her team developed and validated the Supportive Care Needs Assessment Tool for Indigenous People (SCNAT-IP), incorporated into Optimal Care Pathway guidelines. She has authored or co-authored over 180 peer-reviewed publications since 2011, including the edited book Indigenous and Tribal Peoples and Cancer (Springer, 2024), 'What Matters to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Youth (WM2Y): a study protocol to develop a national youth well-being measure' (BMJ Open, 2024), 'Psychometric properties of an Australian supportive care needs assessment tool for Indigenous patients with cancer' (Cancer, 2015), and 'Reducing the burden of cancer for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: Time for a coordinated, collaborative, priority-driven, Indigenous-led research program' (Medical Journal of Australia, 2011). Career highlights include leading the first Roundtable on Indigenous cancer research priorities (2010), establishing the National Indigenous Cancer Network (2013), and convening the inaugural World Indigenous Cancer Conference (2016, Brisbane). Her work has advanced global awareness of Indigenous cancer disparities, built key networks, and improved screening and care pathways. Recent accolades encompass the Jeannie Ferris Award (2025) and Tom Reeve Award (2025).