Welcome to the tenth edition of Gwalwa-Gai, the newsletter for the CRC for Aboriginal Health.

Gwalwa-Gai is an expression used by Larrakia people to call other members of the Larrakia nation to meet. It is used to call clan groups together.

More on ACT Aboriginal prisoner health care

The last edition of Gwalwa-Gai reported on the launch of a report on a new model of Aboriginal prisoner health care for the ACT.

We are now able to provide Gwalwa-Gai readers with further details of the report and a link to the report.

Commissioned by the ACT Government the report, entitled “You do the crime, you do the time” came from a year long research collaboration between the ACT's Winnunga Nimmityjah Health Service, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Studies, the CRCAH, the Australian National University and a number of community-based organisations.

This holistic health care model will be delivered by a Winnunga prison health service team based at Winnunga and differs from other prison health services in that it seeks to provide support to families to keep Aboriginal people out of gaol and to assist released prisoners from re-offending. Winnunga CEO Julie Tongs told Gwalwa-Gai that the model “also provides early family and other intervention strategies in managing the cycle of incarceration.

There are three parts to the model:

1. Inside Gaol – provides holistic care for inmates and their families and planning for release. This care builds a strong sense of identity, a safe environment with community support, and physical and psychological wellbeing inside gaol and when released.
   
2. Release from Gaol – provides holistic care in returning to the community such as collection from gaol, help with accommodation, employment, parole commitments, and ongoing support for the whole family.
   
3. Keeping out of Gaol – provides holistic care in supporting families as well as programs like Healthy for Life, Youths at Risk, Parents' Programs, Men's and Women's Groups, Life Skills and midwifery care. Winnunga is part of a network of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health, community and justice organisations supporting people to keep out of gaol, supporting them when they are in gaol, and supporting them when they are released.

Julie Tongs says that Aboriginal Health Workers will provide and coordinate Winnunga Programs, advocacy and community outreach. Winnunga and other support organizations will have planned for what will happen when a person is released from gaol. This planning will start when people go into gaol.

On a prisoner's release Winnunga Aboriginal Health Workers, community Elders, mentors and other support organisations will continue the support they gave in gaol in preparing for release. People will be met on release to travel to suitable accommodation.

Outreach services will be provided for drug and alcohol and mental health needs, getting used to being with the family, meeting parole commitments, help with Centrelink paper work such as birth certificate ID, job training and employment, and finding out about spiritual healing programs.

Winnunga's report to the ACT Government was co-released with a community report and a brochure, “Keeping out of prison”.

The CRCAH is planning a roundtable on prison health in partnership with AIATSIS in early November.

To download the reports go to: http://www.winnunga.org.au/prisonhealth.html

Winnunga Aboriginal Health Worker's poem
( taken from Winnunga report 'you do the crime, you do the time')

I just went to see my brother,
the one they got in gaol.
He doesn't look quite the same.
What will I tell his mother?
He told me of a friend he had
that died the other day.
He told me of the bastard screws
that had to have their way.
They dragged him around the Courtyard.
They kicked him as he fought and cried.
They strung him up that evening,
and told us all he died.
But we all know what happened,
that dark and storming night,
how my brother screamed and screamed,
and woke us all in fright.
Be free you gentle coloured soul
for you died without a reason,
and you'll be just another case
for the fuckin' Royal Commission.

Despite the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody that Aboriginal people only be incarcerated as a last measure the number of Aboriginal people in gaols across the country are growing.

In NSW there has been a three-fold increase in the number of Indigenous prisoners over the last twenty years. Indeed, between July 6th 2006 and Jan 18th 2007 the number of Indigenous prisoners in the NSW system grew from 1395, being 39.7 % of the total prisoner population to 1493 Indigenous adult persons or 41.7% of the total prisoner population.

For more information on Aboriginal imprisonment rates go to the website of Justice Action, a community-based organisation comprising criminal justice and prison reform activists:
Click here to view website

Social & Emotional Wellbeing Program Update

IMPAKT gears up for feedback

The IMPAKT project (Improving Access to Kidney Transplants) is gearing up for a round of feedback presentations in late October 2007 to the sites that actively participated in the research during 2005/06.

During that time the IMPAKT interviewers visited 26 different sites in 5 states (and territories) where Indigenous people are currently involved in treatments for end stage kidney disease. The treatment centres ranged from the most urban (Sydney) to the most remote (Broome, Tennant Creek).

IMPAKT spoke with a total of 146 Indigenous patients and 18 Indigenous staff working in a range of renal-related positions about their views on their current situation, their understanding of their illness and treatments and their views about transplant as a treatment option. IMPAKT also spoke to both staff (114) and kidney specialists (19) about the path to transplant through their local system and the difficulties and barriers that may arise for Indigenous patients who are interested in transplant.

IMPAKT also interviewed a (relatively) large cohort of kidney specialists who of course play a critical role in the decision-making around transplant. The willingness of Indigenous patients, staff and kidney specialists to participate in this research really reflects the concern they share about the current burden of illness and resulting problems experienced by so many Indigenous patients with kidney disease, along with their families and communities. As well as face-to-face feedback to both participating hospitals and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health services (ACCHOs), the IMPAKT team will be seeking further partnerships with providers to develop patient-friendly resource materials to better explain treatment options including transplant to patients and families.

Many, many individual Indigenous patients and ACCHOs that spoke with the team, however, also emphasised how important it is to establish programs and activities targetted for Indigenous people so that they can avoid being on dialysis in the first place.

CRCAH partners seek
Indigenous Child Health & Education Project Officer

The Child Health and Education project is a collaboration between Menzies School of Health Research (MSHR) and the School for Social and Policy Research (SSPR) at Charles Darwin University. The aim of the project is to apply rigorous research methods to determine the best program models to improve the educational, developmental and health outcomes of disadvantaged Australian Indigenous children.

The Indigenous Project Officer will undertake community consultations with the assistance of other team members, and write a consultation report which will inform the research activities of the team into the future. Additionally, the role will include undertaking some administrative duties as part of working in a team environment e.g. liaising with key stakeholders, organising and participating in team meetings etc.

This position will require some travel to remote communities in the NT. The position will require an enthusiastic person with a strong understanding of remote communities and of the processes of research in this context.

The position is based in Darwin, runs fulltime for six months and attracts a salary between $44,766 and $56, 221 dependant on skills and qualifications;This position has been designated for an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person. Contact: Georgie Nutton 08 8922 6998

Position closes 10 October 2007.

The position descriptions (including selection criteria) may be downloaded from: www.menzies.edu.au/opportunities or obtained from humanresources@menzies.edu.au
or 08 8922 7667.

Applications including a statement addressing the selection criteria, and a copy of your CV (with three nominated referees) should be sent to: Human Resources Officer, MSHR, PO Box 41096, Casuarina NT 0811 or the above email address.

Deadly Ears Conference a great success

From left to right – Gibson Farmer, Toni Thompson, Brayden Dunbar, Sandi Nelson & Melissa Dunbar

Melissa Dunbar is a child health researcher from the Menzies School of Health Research who recently presented at the Hear, Speak, Live (Deadly Ears) Conference on the Gold Coast.

The inaugural conference focused on otitis media and its impact on the health and well being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people. Key issues included hearing, speech & language development, parenting and child development and educational achievement. The conference aims to showcase practical examples, successes and learnings in holistic ear health management from communities across Australia .

Hosted by the Deadly Ears Team, the Queensland-wide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ear Health Program from the Royal Children's Hospital in Brisbane , the Conference brought together ear, nose and throat specialists, Aboriginal health workers, teachers, policy makers and speech therapists.

The CRCAH was pleased to support the attendance of two Aboriginal community members of the PneuMum project's Indigenous Reference Group (IRG); Chair Sandra Nelson and Tiwi Elder Gibson Farmer.

Menzies' CRCAH Link person and ear health research transfer project worker, Susie Hopkins also presented at the conference.

Melissa Dunbar told Gwalwa-Gai that attending the conference was a great opportunity for her, both culturally and professionally, and that she was particularly proud that Sandra and Gibson were able to present their knowledge and experiences to the conference.

“I presented on the community consultation process, Indigenous involvement in research projects and update on the PneuMum study,” she said. “This was a good experience for me to be presenting to such a conference, particularly given the large number of Indigenous attendees.”

Two presentations were made by PneuMum workers - PneuMum – “Trying to protect our kids from ear disease” and PneuMum IRG –“From our perspective in a culturally safe way”.

Gibson Farmer also told a dream time story about the background of the Janarni Childcare Centre in Nguiu on the Tiwi's Bathurst Island.

According to Melissa the conference was of both professional and cultural benefit with traditional dancing, singing and drumming as well as research presentations.

“I was able to network with other Indigenous people from around Queensland and NSW about ear disease and the impact is has on our lives all over Australia ,” she said. “This really motivated me to get back to work and recruit more women in the hope that the PneuMum study can be a big step towards tackling ear disease.”

Many of the key note speaker's power-point presentations will be uploaded on the Ear InfoNet in the coming weeks in the Conference proceedings and abstracts section under Publications - Health (ww.earinfonet.org.au).

For more information on the PneuMum project: Click Here

Aboriginal children's ear health “catastrophic”

A leading Australian ear surgeon has described the learning and developmental problems in Aboriginal children caused by ear infections as “catastrophic”.

Quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald Dr Chris Perry, chairman of the Queensland branch of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, said the incidence of ear infections among Aboriginal children was the worst in the world and had been largely ignored for 50 years.

More than 90 per cent of Aboriginal children suffered from ear infections, which often caused hearing problems leading to illiteracy, truancy and unemployment and in turn triggered drug abuse and violence, Dr Perry said.

A spokeswoman for the Health Minister, Tony Abbott, said yesterday that of 6500 children so far examined in the territory, 1500 had been found to have ear problems.

The Government upgraded health checks of children about three years ago and ear infections was one of the priority areas, the spokeswoman said.

Despite this, Dr Perry said there had been no commitment of sufficient long-term funding to combat the problem - which he said was "widespread, catastrophic socially and an indication of poverty".

The failure to deal with the problem, which could be easily fixed, was "a national shame".

"What we have found … is that close to 100 per cent of Aboriginal children have ear infections by three months of age and in Caucasian children you almost never see them starting so young, " Dr Perry said

Child health knowledge sharing seminar

As part of a continuing program build capacity and information sharing across disciplines and sectors, the Australian Research Alliance for Children & Youth ARACY present its latest collaborative Access Grid Workshop on Growing Kids up Strong: Promoting Healthy Childrearing in Aboriginal Communities.

Presented by Dr Fiona Arney and Robyn Mildon the project is a collaboration involving the Australian Centre for Child Protection at the University of SA, the Parenting Research Centre and the Secretariat for National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC). This collaboration has received seed funding from the ARACY ARC/NHMRC Research Network to begin work on a project that enables Indigenous and non-Indigenous workers to share and use their knowledge about the best ways to work with Indigenous families to help children grow up strong.

The seminar, to be held on Wednesday 14 November 2007 at 3pm AEST will explore how we can share our knowledge of successful ways of working with Indigenous families to prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect.

Further Information: http://www.aracy.org.au

New effort in men's health - Mibbinbah (Place of men) Research Project

La Trobe University 's Human Ethics Committee has just approved the first stage of a major new CRCAH men's health research project under the umbrella of the Chronic Condition Program.

The Mibbinbah (Place of men) project seeks firstly to evaluate existing Indigenous Men's Sheds/Spaces through the employment of local Indigenous male project associates. These Project Associates (PAs) will be trained in the use of participatory action-research methods which will help in the developing and sustaining these sheds/spaces during the research program. Further training in Indigenous leadership, community communication and media, and computer and internet skills, will enhance sustainability. The second project will seek to understand if and why participation in chronic conditions programs by Indigenous males is improved through association with “safe” and “well-facilitated” Indigenous men's sheds/spaces.

The research program has been developed and will be deployed under the joint leadership of Jack Bulman (Ngulli Gau Rema Shed/Space, Queensland ) and Rick Hayes (La Trobe University, Victoria). Jack and Rick are leading researchers in non-pathologising approaches to health promotion in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous men's sheds.

The pilot phase will involve up to five sites funded by the CRCAH and another two sites funded by beyondblue and other interested parties. The five sites funded by CRCAH will be Yarrabah (near Cairns ), Gold Coast, Lismore, Mt Druitt and Preston in Melbourne . It is intended that the two sites funded by beyondblue will be in Tingha (NSW) and Warnambool (VIC).

For more information:
Jack Bulman: 0416173975 or Jack.bulman@gmail.com
Rick Hayes: (03) 9479.3290 or 0407379787 or r.hayes@latrobe.edu.au

La Trobe social work student in CRCAH placement

The CRCAH has recently taken on Mary Walbrook, a social work student from Melbourne-based partner La Trobe University, for a 14 week professional placement as part of an evaluation of Darwin youth intervention program, Balunu Foundation.

The Balunu evaluation team - Bobby Cole, Mary Walbrook, Dr Kate Senior and Dave Cole

Mary had spent time in Darwin in 2006 and become interested in the city's complex social and cultural dynamic with particular interest in how young people deal with the gap between aspiration and opportunity, and culture and discrimination. She made these themes a focus of her studies in social work and social policy on her return to her studies and so when the opportunity to assist in the evaluation of what she describes as “an innovative, grassroots, community-initiated strategy” she jumped at it.

“It seemed an uncanny match for my research interests and an opportunity not to be passed up,” she told Gwalwa-Gai. “I was also attracted to the CRCAH's dedication to the transferability of research and the commitment to tangible outcomes of research for communities.”

Mary will spend three months under the supervision of Dr Kate Senior of Menzies School of Health Research and Balunu Foundation's David and Bobby Cole, assisting with the Balanu evaluation, learning a little more about effective youth intervention in an urban context along the way.

For more information: www.balunu.org.au

Empowerment and mental health workshop

CRCAH-supported mental health research project AIMHI NT are holding a two day workshop on Tuesday, 23 rd and Wednesday, 24 th October.  

The workshop theme is ‘ Empowerment and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health '.

The AIMHI (Australian Integrated Mental Health Initiative) NT project has developed stories about mental health in Top End remote communities with Aboriginal Mental Health Workers.

These stories have been linked with research into brief interventions and the ‘Yarning about Mental Health' training package.

The AIMHI NQ project has been developing outcome measures and empowerment tools for the Indigenous community.

Findings from the NT and the NQ AIMHI projects will be presented on the first day of this two day seminar.

The AIMHI NT brief intervention training will be conducted on day two.

The training package includes the following modules:

• Getting to know you (developing rapport)
• Staying in balance (strengths and stressors)
• Risk assessment (knowing who is safe in the community)
• Developing goals (goals for change in our lives)
• Early warning signs (recognising mental illness relapse)
• Stay Strong Care Planning (motivational techniques)
• Diagnosis (recognising different mental illnesses)
• Mental health medicine (treatment with medication)

This session will incorporate the newly launched Yarning About Mental Health flipchart.  It is a step-by-step guide to mental health assessment and motivational care planning – and is a central component of the AIMHI NT Stay Strong training package.

The workshops are relevant to those working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the health setting.

A programme will be circulated once the schedule has been finalised.

If you would like further information, please contact Valerie Thomson at Valerie.Thompson@menzies.edu.au

Boarding schools roundtable

Boarding schools and their relationship to Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing were the subject of a roundtable hosted by the CRCAH and Victoria University in Melbourne in September.

The roundtable was attended by about 25 people with a shared interest in boarding schools, as parents, educators, boarding school administrators or program administrators supporting the involvement of Aboriginal students and parents with boarding schools.

Its purpose was to identify the research priorities around Aboriginal students and boarding schools – from the perspective of relevant stakeholders.

The roundtable came about after a group of researchers from Victoria University contacted the CRCAH with a project proposal around boarding schools and Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing. The proposal lay outside the scope of the CRCAH's current research priorities or budget. The CRCAH urged the researchers to consider building a strong involvement with those who might want to use the outcomes of research about boarding schools, and offered to help support that process of engaging stakeholders.

The Ian Potter Foundation funded the roundtable, and was delighted with the outcomes.

The roundtable identified a broad range of issues of concern to the stakeholders. The researcher group will now look at developing possible project ideas based on those priorities, which will be circulated back to the stakeholders for feedback and eventual development into research proposals.

Participants at the roundtable came from Worawa, Yirara, Kormilda and Rostrevor colleges, Yuendumu School, Cape York Institute, Victorian Aboriginal Education Association, Victoria, LaTrobe and Melbourne universities, the Ian Potter Foundations, the CRCAH, and many other organisations.

For more information contact Jill Sanguinetti at jill.sanguinetti@vu.edu.au

Improving Indigenous medical education

Leaders in Indigenous medical education (LIME) met recently to discuss the progress of developing and delivering quality Indigenous health content into university medical curricula while also increasing the number of Indigenous students in medical schools around the country .

The LIME Connection II conference and inaugural LIMElight Awards was held under the auspices of Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand and the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association (AIDA), and brought together Indigenous and non-Indigenous medical educators, Indigenous health specialists, policy makers, and community members from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States of America.

Medical Deans President Professor Allan Carmichael said the conference was an important forum for discussing innovative approaches in Indigenous medical education and the experiences of practitioners.

CRCAH Research Director Professor Ian Anderson also addressed the conference.

The inaugural LIMElight Awards were an acknowledgment and celebration of the many successes in Indigenous medical education. Awards were presented to individuals and institutions in both Australia and New Zealand at the conference for their outstanding work.

The conference was supported by the University of New South Wales , which hosted the event this year on behalf of Medical Deans, AIDA and the LIME Network.

LIME will reconvene in two years time to continue to share the stories of success. For further information, please visit The LIME Network Website, www.limenetwork.net.au

CRCAH CEO Mick Gooda has generated considerable interest in the CRCAH's approach to a user-driven research agenda after presenting a key note address to the 2007 annual conference of the Australasian Research Management Society (ARMS).

Titled FUSION2007: Collaboration with Impact, the conference introduced the theme of effective research with Indigenous communities and was aimed at exposing senior research managers to best practice in such research.

In his address the Mick Gooda explained the CRCAH process of developing research projects to ensure relevance, capacity building and accessibility to research users.

He also spoke about the CRCAH commitment to ensuring strong and decisive Aboriginal input into the prioritisation, design and management of Aboriginal health research projects and stressed that such input is an essential component of effective research.

“We often find the community input into the design and review of proposals adds considerably to the effectiveness and feasibility of the project,” Mick said.

He explained that the CRCAH was faced with a large degree of Aboriginal skepticism about the benefits of research.

“There is an entrenched view that Aboriginal people in Australia are the most researched people in the world and that while researchers got their PhDs and built reputations around that research, there was little or no benefit to the research subjects.

“We start from the perspective of building proper and appropriate relationships with the community sector….(and) the most essential ingredient to proper engagement is the building of respectful relationships based on mutual trust,” he said. “Trust that Indigenous people will be in a safe environment around research, trust that they will be listened to and trust that they and their knowledge will be valued.”

Included within his speech was a preview screening of part of a new CRCAH DVD presentation in which Aboriginal community members, researchers and other stakeholders speak about their experiences and the benefits arising from the CRCAH's approach.

The newly appointed head of the CRC Association, Michael Hartmann, who recently visited the CRCAH and other northern-based CRCs, described the presentation as “the best thing at the conference”.

Other outcomes have been closer linkages with the National Health and Medical Research Council and the SIRO which is looking to increase its engagement with Indigenous research.

Other highlights of the Fusion Conference were an Indigenous research and ethics workshop run by Tracey Bunda and Kim O'Donnell and an Indigenous intellectual property and copyright workshop run by Aboriginal lawyer Robynne Quiggan.

To read the full speech: http://www.crcah.org.au/communication/downloads/08-190907Mick_Fusion_Presentation.pdf

New CRCAH publications launched

Mick Gooda, Stephanie Bell, Adrian Carson and Lizzie Adams with the Learning from Action report authors.

Two significant new reports on Aboriginal health published by the CRCAH were recently launched by Chair Pat Anderson at the Public Health Association conference in Alice Springs.

The first publication, Australian Indigenous Health in an International Context, was jointly authored by Jane Freemantle, Kirsty Officer and Daniel McAullay of the Kulunga Research Network at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia and CRCAH Research Director Ian Anderson, Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit, the University of Melbourne.

The report was commissioned by OXFAM Australia to enable evidence-based advocacy work drawing on international comparative research as part of the Close the Gap campaign.

The aim of the review was to provide a current overview of the health of Indigenous peoples within and between Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America.

The Review examined the health standards of Indigenous peoples in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America, including key trends.

Pat Anderson told the PHAA Conference that the report featured a number of case studies that have demonstrated that well-resourced, community-controlled and culturally appropriate and accessible programs can and do have a positive impact and result in significant and sustained improvement in the health outcomes of Aboriginal people.

She said that we need to learn from the positive initiatives and also from those initiatives that have not reached their objectives in order that the momentum in the improvement of the health and wellbeing of the world's Indigenous people can be increased and sustained.

Also launched at the PHAA conference was an important new monograph on social determinants which is the culmination of a CRCAH workshop held in Adelaide.

Beyond Bandaids: Exploring the Underlying Social Determinants of Aboriginal Health, presents an impressive collection of sixteen papers on perspectives of the social and economic determinants of Aboriginal health, including education, culture, law, employment, social and emotional wellbeing, the environment, racism, law, and governance.

Brisbane was the location of a recent launch of another important new CRCAH publication; Learning from Action: Management of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Services written by Judith Dwyer, Cindy Shannon and Shirley Godwin.

The report is from a twelve month project which brought together managers of Queensland Aboriginal community controlled health services to discuss, workshop and solve various problems the managers had encountered.

Launched at a management and governance workshop organised by the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) the report was launched QAIHC Chairperson, Lizzie Adams.

Lizzie told the workshop that the report proved that “we need to find original ways to improve our work and conducting our own research in partnership with groups like the CRC for Aboriginal Health, La Trobe University and Flinders University is clearly an integral part of this challenge.

“There is no doubt that the Learning From Action project and report will make a difference to the way our health services are managed and in doing so will impact, over time, to reduce the shameful burden of ill- health suffered by our people,” she said.

Copies of these reports can be downloaded from the CRCAH website www.crcah.org.au

Kiara and Paris model the latest in CRCAH merchandise

New merchandise from the CRCAH Communications Unit

The CRCAH is proud to release a new sticker for your car as part of an upgrade of our merchandise products. As well as the stickers a new baseball cap is now available and arriving soon are temporary tattoos, frisbees and rulers.

These new products are available along with CRCAH t-shirts, bags and drink bottles from admin@crcah.org.au

Gilbert Gallaher – exploring the impact of internalised
racism on health

PhD student and CRCAH scholarship recipient Gilbert Gallaher's grandmother was a Wangan woman from Claremont in central Queensland and he describes himself as a man of mixed Aboriginal and Irish heritage

Currently studying part time whilst holding a fulltime position as a research fellow at Flinders University Gilbert's PhD dissertation is titled Getting under the skin: self-reported experiences of racism and its affects on health for urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people . The research employs a mixed-methodology to determine the kinds and extent of racism experienced by Indigenous people living in urban Adelaide and to record how racism impacts on health.

Gilbert Gallaher with fellow Flinders University researcher Kim O'Donnell

A particular focus of the dissertation is an examination of the concepts of internalised and intra- racism – concepts that, according to Gilbert, are not only under-researched but ones that emerged as significant to a large proportion of urban Indigenous people who participated in this study.

Gilbert says that “strength in identity is now considered to be perhaps the most conspicuous strength that Indigenous people possess – the persistence of Aboriginality within ourselves, our families and our communities.”

“Even so,” he says, “the extent to which internalised racism and intra- racism contribute to poor health status through the internalisation of whiteness, remains relatively unexplored for urban Indigenous people both nationally and internationally.

“Drawing on critical whiteness and identity theory the dissertation seeks to highlight the power of the dominant culture, its beliefs and value systems, to judge and invade the last of the Aboriginal territories – the mind and the body,” he told Gwalwa-Gai. “I propose that this occurs through a process of infusion into the skin…to settle under the skin and within the mind, to determine and re-inscribe or prescribe what it is and means to be Aboriginal.”

Gilbert says that a particular focus of his study are the unconscious ways in which whiteness is internalised and often unquestioningly reproduced with harmful health, social and emotional consequences.

“My dissertation considers how the Indigeneity as a subject is expressed or allowed to be expressed between as well as within Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultural fields and the implications of this on health.”

Gilbert's work at the Department of Public Health at Flinders University involves project managing a 3 year study that looks at urban health inequities affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The project has many potential benefits including:

Both Gilbert's PhD and his position at Flinders University are supported by the CRCAH and NH&MRC.

“I would like to thank the CRCAH for its contributions in supporting all of our Indigenous colleagues, not just those here at Flinders University,” he told Gwalwa-Gai.