Annette Whitaker

Co-founder and CEO of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association of Australia

2022 QLD Australian of the Year Nominee

Annette (Annie) Whitaker has dedicated the past 22 years of her life to supporting and advocating for people with pulmonary hypertension (PH). A once invariably fatal condition – with sufferers dying within 2.8 years of a diagnosis – it’s now survivable for much longer periods thanks to advances in medicine.

Annie co-founded the patient support group Pulmonary Hypertension Association of Australia (PHAA) in 2005 and has been CEO since inception. The organisation advocates on behalf of the PH community, while also providing hope, support and education for around 4,000 family and friends of people with PH. For each person diagnosed with PH, an average of 18 family and friends are affected. Many members have also joined PHAA after a post-mortem diagnosis of PH is given to a loved one who has passed away.

Annie is a relentless campaigner for the approval of new PH medications in Australia. She’s attended Federal Parliament hearings on behalf of PHAA and submitted numerous submissions to the Therapeutic Goods Administration.