Abe Ropitini is an Indigenous man of Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Maniapoto iwi (Aotearoa) and Trawlwoolway (Northeastern Tasmania) descent. After growing up in Aotearoa, he has spent his adult life in Australia working across health and social services. Alongside his research at La Trobe, he is the Executive Director of Population Health at the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) and a Senior Fellow in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health at the University of Melbourne.

Abe's research is in medical anthropology and Indigenous health and wellbeing. He is an experienced project manager who has led large-scale implementations across health, aged care, disability, and Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing.