Capacity Building in Indigenous Policy-relevant Health Research

Project summary
This program brings together some of Australia’s leading experts in Indigenous health research to build capacity to address one of the nation’s most pressing concerns. The program aims to develop a critical mass of Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers who combine advanced quantitative skills with a keen understanding of the needs of policy makers. The program is developing researchers who are able to undertake the type of research and critical analysis that is necessary to improve the evidence base for Indigenous health and social policy and, ultimately, reduce the health disadvantage faced by Indigenous Australians. The people supported by this program, including five post-doctoral fellows and four students, are currently involved in a large number of research projects, including many other CRC for Aboriginal Health projects.

Summary of projected outcomes
The primary objectives of the CIPHER project are to:

1. Increase the output of high quality, policy relevant, critical social analysis and research relating to Indigenous health.
2. Establish the processes and methods to develop and sustain a genuine intellectual partnership between researchers and policy makers in the field of Indigenous health.
3. Improve research transfer through strengthened linkages between researchers and policy makers, and through a better understanding of the relevant networks and how and where blockages may occur.
4. Increase the number of Indigenous researchers who successfully complete postgraduate qualifications.
5. Improve key data collection instruments and systems to ensure optimal utility for policy and planning.
6. Improve understanding of a number of technical issues that impact on data analysis and interpretation.
7. Increase the quality and quantity of research proposals in population health and health services.
8. Substantially increase the evidence base for Indigenous health and social policy and, ultimately, increase the capacity for improving public health and health service delivery.

Summary of project implementation
The capacity building program focuses on two distinct groups:

• post-doctoral researchers, many of whom will be non-Indigenous; and
• Indigenous postgraduate research students.

At 1 July 2007, two of five post-doctoral fellows and three of four students are Indigenous.

Capacity development operates through two distinct processes. One is at the individual level, targeted to the specific needs of each team member. The second process involves developing the capacity of the group as a whole through an Annual Learning Conference cycle, which provides an opportunity for workshops on various topics as well as substantial interaction with the members of our national reference group.

Timeline
The program commenced in 2004 and is expected to continue until mid-2009.

Publications

CIPHer Policy Brief (2006): Trends in Indigenous Death Rates in the Northern Territory [pdf]

Baeza JI & Cunningham J. 2005. An 'experiment' in Indigenous social policy: The rise and fall of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC). Policy and Politics. 33 (3): 461-473.

Cunningham, Joan and Rumbold, Alice. Challenges in Identifying and Studying the Research Workforce in Indigenous Health. Australasian Epidemiologist; Volume 13, Issue 1; Apr 2006; 6-8

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Page last updated July 2007