Professor Dawn Bessarab has shown exceptional Indigenous leadership, knowledge, expertise and contribution through research in Indigenous health and social work. Through development and application of clinical yarning in healthcare, clinicians and health practitioners are better equipped to engage more effectively with Aboriginal patients towards better health outcomes. Professor Bessarab’s leadership in the discipline of social work, including co-editing and publishing the first book on Indigenous social work in Australia, contributed to embedding Indigenous knowledges in schools of social work nationally. This change has influenced social work practice and how more culturally informed social workers engage with Aboriginal children, families and communities.