Professor Debra Anderson is Dean of the Faculty of Health.

She joined the University of Technology Sydney in late 2019 as Associate Dean Research where she was responsible for leading the faculty's research function with a focus on developing and executing the strategic vision that builds internal capability and grows the faculty's profile nationally and internationally.

Debra is recognised for being a visionary, supportive and inclusive leader who engages teams in strategic goals, empowers leaders to take accountability, and brings measurable success leading to transformation.
Her career is built on the pillars of nursing, exercise science and research – and is broadly based on the holistic idea that health outcomes rely on a combination of both physical and mental wellbeing which can be supported by a healthy lifestyle including exercise, diet and sleep.

As Founding Director of the Women’s Wellness Research Collaborative (wellnessresearch.org.au), she has mentored a growing network of researchers - all Debra’s former or current colleagues and students - spread across six countries and almost a dozen universities, researching a wide gamut of women’s health issues.
As Dean of the Faculty of Health, her vision is to enable colleagues to work towards transforming health and wellbeing across the lifespan for us influencing policy and clinical practice.

“From midwives and neo-natal care, through children and adolescents to older age and end-of-life care, we need to aim for education and research that is transformative, excellent and world-class,” she said.

“We can’t do everything, but what we can do should be the best.”

Her previous positions were Head of School, Nursing and Midwifery at Griffith University and Director of Research at the School of Nursing, Queensland University of Technology and the Research Leader of the Chronic Conditions research group at the Institute of Health and Biomedical Research.

She has a PhD in Social and Preventive Medicine and more than 30 years’ experience in education and research and has an extensive record of providing leadership in major administrative, research and managerial roles in global women’s health.

She has a distinguished international reputation as a scholar and leader in the field of women's health research and is a collaborator on the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health.

This reputation has been achieved through extensive publication, leadership of the women’s wellness research team, conferences and editorial work, and invited keynote presentations on her research to academic conferences, including to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and to the World Health Organization.

She has been named as a Guest Professor, Peking University, China 2019-2021, and is a Visiting Professor at Kings College London and has been invited to Harvard University to present findings from her research project titled: The Australian/Japanese Midlife Women's Health Study for which she was Chief Investigator (profiled at the Ache World EXPO).

She was based in Geneva as a scholar at the World Health Organization where she worked with the Chief Nursing Scientist and the Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery (SDNM) 2010-2015 working party on the SDNM, of which part of the focus was to ensure the SDNM addressed the issue of supporting the MDG in relation to women and safe birthing.

She presented the updated SDNM to the WHO 12th Global Advisory Group for Nursing and Midwifery Development at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and at the WHO Collaborating Centres for Nursing and Midwifery Conference on Primary Health Care in Brazil.

She has completed leadership programs from Harvard Business School, University of Technology Sydney and the University of Melbourne Business School.

Organisational memberships include: Board member SIGMA (2022-current); Boar member UTS Global Board (2022-current); Board member, SIGMA International Foundation Board (2020-2022); Board Member International Council of Women’s Health Issues (2015-current) Invited Editorial Board member: Menopause; the Journal of the North American Menopause Association; Midlife Women’s Health; Named as an Obesity Expert, World Health Organisation 2017; Oceania Regional Coordinator, Sigma Theta Tau International, 2011 - 2015; Global Task Force, World Health Organisation Strategic Directions in Nursing and Midwifery 2010-15; ; Member and Chair: Organisations Working Group United Nations Advisory Council (Sigma Theta Tau International); Member, Global Leadership Group, Sigma Theta Tau International; Writing Group, World Health Organisation Strategic Directions in Nursing and Midwifery 2010-15; former President, Phi, Delta Chapter, Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.

She has been recognised by her peers receiving Distinguished Alumni Award, Flinders University, South Australia (For significant contribution and exceptional leadership to the profession and discipline of Nursing and to the community); Nurse Scholar, Nursing and Midwifery, Department of Human Resources for Health, World Health Organisation, Geneva, Switzerland; Vice-Chancellor’s Performance Award (Queensland University of Technology); Invitational Research Fellow, Australian Academy of Science, Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) (Faculty of Medicine, Tohoku University, Japan); International Network for Doctoral Education (INDEN) Scholarship to attend the Postdoctoral Summer Nursing Research Institute (University of Pennsylvania, United States of America).