Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health

Indigenous cultures are the oldest continuous cultures on Earth, yet Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today endure a range of health and social inequities due to the continuing legacy of colonisation and dispossession. Racism, discrimination and the disruption of traditional cultural practices are powerful determinants of health and socioemotional wellbeing for Indigenous peoples worldwide.

We’re a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers committed to community-led, culturally safe, and impactful research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to address these inequities.

Our goals

We work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities and champion their priorities for health research as well as evaluate community-led interventions. We use a range of methodologies in our research, including a focus on Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing. Our aim is to address social and cultural determinants of health and reduce health inequities to increase health and wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; making real differences to peoples’ lives across the lifespan.

Research strengths

Our research strengths include:

Child and adolescent wellbeing
Brain health, falls and frailty
Physical activity and wellbeing
Building partnerships

Our impact

Our work is contributing to significant improvements in healing, health and social and emotional wellbeing grounded in a rights-based framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health in Australia. Capacity building is central to what we do and we are proud that we are helping to grow the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers, clinicians, and population health practitioners within an environment of cultural safety and strengths building. Through our extensive network of collaborators, our high-quality research that privileges the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is directly informing policy and practice by community organisations and governments.

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