Professor Tonkin is Chair of the Medical Board of Australia which is responsible for registration and regulation of all doctors in Australia. She has been involved in medical regulation for more than a decade and was first appointed to the Medical Board of South Australia in 2009, prior to the National Scheme. She held the position of Chair of the South Australian Board from 2012 until she was appointed as Chair of the National Board in 2018. In 2023, Professor Tonkin was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for her distinguished service to medical professional regulation, to tertiary education, and to clinical pharmacology. In the same year, she was also awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators. Professor Anne Tonkin trained as a general physician with a sub-specialty in clinical pharmacology, and practised at the Royal Adelaide Hospital for more than 25 years. She was a clinical academic in the Adelaide Medical School for 22 years, becoming Professor in Medical Education with responsibilities for curriculum planning and implementation. Professor Tonkin has also served the Australian Medical Council as a council member and had long-standing involvement with its accreditation processes for medical school and specialist colleges up until her appointment to the Medical Board of Australia.