Associate Professor Kalinda Griffiths

Associate Professor Kalinda Griffiths (FRSN) is a Yawuru woman living and working on Larrakia Country. She is a cancer epidemiologist and the Director of Poche SA+NT at Flinders University, where she leads a program of work focused on strengthening the governance, quality, and ethical use of Indigenous population-level data to improve health systems, equity, and outcomes.

Kalinda’s research is centred on Indigenous Data Governance, health measurement, cancer control, and the reform of national data and reporting systems. With more than 25 years’ experience working across government, research, and community-controlled sectors, she has played a leading role in shaping national policy and practice on Indigenous identification, health and wellbeing reporting, bioethics, and accountability in data systems. Her work seeks to ensure that Indigenous data are accurate, culturally grounded, and governed in ways that reflect Indigenous rights, authority, and priorities.

She is an NHMRC (EL2) Leadership Fellow and a Senior Atlantic Fellow for Social Equity. Kalinda holds a Visiting Fellowship at the Centre for Big Data Research in Health and an Honorary Fellowship at the Menzies School of Health Research, where she co-leads the Ramaciotti Training Centre supporting the development of STEMM capability in regional and remote Australia. She is the Chair of the Longitudinal Study for Indigenous Children (LSIC) for the Department of Social Services, co-chair of the International Group for Indigenous Health Measurement (IGIHM), and also a board member of Science and Technology Australia (STA). 

Kalinda is a Chief Investigator on several major national initiatives focused on Indigenous data and health measurement, including Indigenous genomics capacity building, transparent health reporting, and the development of culturally appropriate risk assessment tools. Her leadership extends across national and international governance roles, contributing to the advancement of Indigenous-led data systems, statistical capability, and ethical research practice.

Through her work at Flinders University and beyond, Kalinda is committed to building Indigenous leadership in data, strengthening trust in evidence, and reforming systems so they better serve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.