National treasure Lowitja O'Donoghue was joined by an Olympic gold medallist and government ministers on Wednesday night as she launched an indigenous health research institute named in her honour.
The one-time Australian of the Year told an audience of more than 100 people gathered at Parliament House in Canberra she wasn't initially very gracious when she was approached with the idea.
"My response was very grown-up like `no way'," the patron of the Lowitja Institute said.
"It occurred to me that having an institute named after me would have half the country thinking I was dead."
The Lowitja Institute will seek philanthropic funding to research the causes of indigenous health problems and examine social factors such as housing, employment and racism.
Dr O'Donoghue, who was inaugural chair of the disbanded Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, said the institute aimed to have Aboriginal participation at all levels and would always question the point of research.
The member of the stolen generation was named an Australian Living National Treasure in 1998.
Prominent indigenous health worker Pat Anderson will act as interim chair of the institute.
"I'm of the generation immediately behind her and she's been a great personal inspiration to me," said Ms Anderson, who co-wrote the Little Children Are Sacred report which led to the Northern Territory intervention in 2007.
Olympic hockey gold medallist Nova Peris-Kneebone was at the launch, along with Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin and Indigenous Health Minister Warren Snowdon.
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