George Gurruwiwi

Mr Garambaka George Gurruwiwi is a senior traditional elder Galpu Yolŋu leader from Galiwin’ku, North-East Arnhem Land. His first languages are Galpu and Djambarrpuyngu. Mr Gurruwiwi has been a qualified Aboriginal Community Based Researcher since 2010. Garambaka is passionate about improving the health of Indigenous people in his family and community, as well as worldwide. He is a member of the Menzies School of Health Research Hepatitis B Indigenous Reference Group. He is a chief investigator on numerous NHMRC and MRFF projects.

Mr Gurruwiwi contributed to projects for maternal and child health, adult health, scabies, impetigo, strongyloidiasis, nutrition, Hepatitis B, rheumatic heart disease (RHD), diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. His work in transmission of infectious diseases enabled policymakers to design interventions to limit the spread of disease, and his contributions to scabies research resulted in changes to best practice guidelines for scabies treatment and crusted scabies management. His recent work has demonstrated that preventative health checks within a traditional system reduced chronic disease risk factors. In 2024 Mr Gurruwiwi gave a key presentation to the National Parliamentary Enquiry into Diabetes explaining the unacceptable rates of diabetes in remote communities. Mr Gurruwiwi has played a significant role in identifying previously unrecognised cross-cultural barriers within the current health system that have contributed to the escalating burden of disease among Yolŋu people. As a result, the regional healthcare provider and regional supermarket are currently developing initiatives aimed at addressing identified concerns.