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 Penny Smith and Scott Miller
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In 2006 Penny Smith was approached to take on the
Link role with
the CRC for Aboriginal Health for La Trobe University. Penny
followed on from the important work that Shirley Goodwin had done
at La Trobe in 2004 and 2005.
Before working for the CRC for Aboriginal Health, and along with
her work with the School of Public Health at La Trobe University,
Penny worked as a tutor for Aboriginal students under the
Aboriginal Tutorial Assistance Scheme for the Ngarn-gi Bagora
Indigenous Centre at Bundoora. She began working with the scheme in
early 2005, when Scott Miller approached her to assist him with
completing his thesis in public health. His health sciences Honours
thesis was on Aboriginal men and risk-taking behaviour in the East
Gippsland area of Victoria. It was called 'If local knowledge is
the answer, why is it that Indigenous people known locally are
still drowning?'
In early 2006, when Penny started her work with the CRC for
Aboriginal Health, she approached Scott to consider submitting his
Honours research as an in-kind project and to also think about
presenting at the Melbourne
Showcase in May. Scott jumped at the opportunity to speak about
his work, and overcame nervousness and high stress levels to get up
on the day and present to the warm and welcoming Melbourne
audience.
Through the showcase Scott met researchers and academics who
spent time with him on the day, and afterwards, discussing his
ideas. This gave him the opportunity to really consider working
towards a PhD in the future.
Research transfer is an important value held by the CRC for
Aboriginal Health. Scott understood that presenting his work at the
showcase not only enabled him to speak to others about his work,
but it also put the issue of risk-taking behaviour and its effect
on the population of interest in his project into an arena where
other like-minded researchers would be present. It enabled him to
begin to discuss and see what could possibly be done and in what
direction his research could go.
Scott felt that as a new researcher the showcase was an ideal
place to connect with established researchers, academics and
community members who can assist and guide him in his future
work.
From: CRCAH Annual
Report 2005/2006
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