Dr John Boffa
Dr John Boffa graduated from medicine from Monash University in 1985 with first class honours and completed a Masters in Public Health at the Melbourne Consortium in 2001 again with first class honours. John has worked in Aboriginal health in the Northern Territory since the 1988, and now holds the position of Chief Medical Officer Public Health at the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress.
John has contributed to key developments in Aboriginal community controlled primary health care, and contributed to significant national Aboriginal health policy developments including the National Aboriginal Health Strategy Working Party Report (1989) and the transfer of administrative responsibility for Aboriginal health from ATSIC to the Commonwealth Government Department of Health (1994).
At a local level John continues to work on alcohol policy reform which led to recognition as the 2012 NT Australian of the year. In 2013 John received an appointment as an adjunct Associate Professor with the National Drug Research Institute at Curtin University, and was jointly awarded the AMA Award for Excellence in Health Care in 2016 along with Donna Ah Chee. In 2022 he received an appointment with Charles Darwin University as an Adjunct Professor of Primary Health Care. In 2024 he received the PHAA President’s award for his outstanding contribution and dedication to public health in Australia.