2001–02 Annual Report
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community COOPERATIVE RESEARCH CENTRE partnerships FOR ABORIGINAL & TROPICAL HEALTH action research 2001–02 Annual Report cooperative links strategic research Indigenous education ESTABLISHED AND SUPPORTED UNDER THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT’S COOPERATIVE RESEARCH CENTRES PROGRAM MISSION STATEMENT The Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal To provide a cross-cultural framework for and Tropical Health (CRCATH) is a ‘public strategic research, leading to evidence-based good’ centre, funded mainly through the improvements in education and health practice, a Commonwealth Government’s Cooperative more highly-skilled health workforce, more Research Centres program. The CRCATH has effective health services, and reconciliation brought together organisations engaged in between Aboriginal and Western perspectives on health service delivery and research expertise health. into an unincorporated joint venture. The objectives of the Cooperative Research Funding and in-kind support are provided Centre for Aboriginal and Tropical Health are to: through the six core partners: ❚ Carry out and promote research to find new Central Australian Aboriginal Congress knowledge that will help to improve the health Danila Dilba Biluru Butji Binnilutlum Health of all Aboriginal people and of other people Service Aboriginal Corporation living in tropical regions. Flinders University of South Australia ❚ Carry out and promote research, education Menzies School of Health Research and training leading to improved and Northern Territory University practical means for improving Aboriginal Department of Health and Community Services health by means which are both feasible and Menzies School of Health Research is also the effective. Centre host, and provides Centre Agent services ❚ Increase the skills of Aboriginal people, and and accommodation for the secretariat and to encourage training and employment executive of the CRCATH. opportunities in the field of Aboriginal and tropical health. ❚ Pay particular attention to Aboriginal knowledge and rights in the commercialisation of any intellectual property identified through, or arising out of, the work of the Centre. ❚ Collect authoritative information about relevant health issues and disseminate it to Aboriginal people and other health consumers, to service providers, to government, to the media and to the wider community. ❚ Cooperate with other agencies with similar objectives. ❚ Otherwise promote the health interests of all Aboriginal people and those other people living in the tropics. Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal & Tropical Health 2001–02 ANNUAL REPORT Contents Chairperson’s report ______________________________________________2 Management report_______________________________________________4 Structure and management _________________________________________6 Cooperative linkages _____________________________________________10 Research ______________________________________________________13 Research program one: Indigenous Health and Education Research ______16 Research program two: Health Resources and Service Delivery Research __19 Research program three: Public Health Research_____________________23 Research program four: Health Information and Technology Research _______27 Research program five: Biomedical Research________________________30 Education and Training Function ____________________________________33 For further information, contact: Research Transfer and Communication Function ________________________39 Cooperative Research Centre for Utilisation and application of the research_____________________________41 Aboriginal and Tropical Health Future directions_________________________________________________42 c/- Menzies School of Health Staff and administration___________________________________________44 Performance indicators 2001–02 ___________________________________45 Research List of professional staff 2001–02 ___________________________________49 PO Box 41096 Publications and presentations 2001–02 _____________________________56 CASUARINA NT 0811 Finance 2001–02 _______________________________________________59 Combined Health Building (58) Appendixes ____________________________________________________68 Nightingale Road Appendix 1: Specified personnel _______________________________68 Appendix 2: List of abbreviations_______________________________68 Royal Darwin Hospital Rocklands Drive TIWI NT 0810 ESTABLISHED AND Phone: 08 8922 8841 SUPPORTED UNDER Fax: 08 8927 5187 THE AUSTRALIAN Email: [email protected] GOVERNMENT’S COOPERATIVE Website: www.ath.crc.org.au RESEARCH CENTRES PROGRAM 2 CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT When the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal and Tropical Health was established five years ago I doubt that many of us realised what immense challenges lay ahead. Fired with all the excitement and optimism that comes with establishing an intersectoral, transdisciplinary collaboration for Aboriginal health research — the first of its kind in Australia — we embarked on a unique journey. Five years later, we have reached a significant watershed in this journey. It is a time when we can look back on where we have come from and what we have achieved. It is also a time when we can make decisions about where we are headed. To continue the analogy, we need to consid- er: what side streams we will follow; who our travelling companions will be; what hazards we may encounter; and which way the current is running! But most importantly, of course, we need to con- sider why we are on this journey and what our destination will be. The five-year watershed is a time to take stock, reflect on our achievements, and clarify and affirm our core values and principles. We know that the appalling and shameful health status of The Chair of the Cooperative Aboriginal people is due to poverty, social disadvantage, alienation and inadequate health care. Research Centre for Aboriginal and We absolutely believe that, if this health profile has been socially produced, then it can also be Tropical Health Board, socially transformed. Specifically, as a research centre, we affirm that Aboriginal health problems Professor Lowitja O’Donoghue AC CBE. may be improved by culturally appropriate research and development, focusing on real outcomes and sustainable solutions. We believe that these solutions will be best achieved through effective partnerships and the full participation of Aboriginal people, and that to achieve this, a major thrust of our work must be to strengthen the capacities of Aboriginal people. We have managed to keep in place a collaborative framework between six highly diverse core partners, and this in itself is no small achievement. It has certainly generated much lively debate, dissent and productive dialogue! But it has been worth it because it has produced a properly exam- ined research approach that works to benefit Aboriginal people at the grass roots level. We are not interested in reports that only gather dust on library shelves. We’ve successfully defined our role as a bridge between the ‘producers’ of research and the ‘users’ of research. At the same time we’re well aware that you cannot neatly draw a line between users and providers. Hence the ‘user’ partners help to determine research needs and priorities. And they help to educate the communities about research findings and their implications for practice. Let’s review some of our specific achievements. Firstly our research achievements. It is deeply satisfying to see that our unique approach to collaborative research continues to produce outstanding successes. We have not only played a leading role within the academic arena, but also in our broader community reach. Examples of this include ministerial advisory meet- ings, curriculum documents, media releases and plain-English research reports. In addition we have expanded our collaboration with industry partners and achieved additional external funding. The most important aspect of our research endeavour is our focus on having a real impact on health and related health policy and practice. Several projects have directly informed standard treatment manuals and guidelines, others have resulted in changes in treatment regimes, health interventions or systemic planning. Many projects have resulted in an increased capacity of Aboriginal communities to manage health issues. Users of our work have acknowledged its direct contribution to national policy, planning and funding decisions. The CRCATH continues to demonstrate that working in partnership with Aboriginal people and key service providers can result in effective transfer of research findings into service delivery. I feel sure that this approach is a signpost for the future in achieving improved outcomes in Aboriginal health. Secondly, our Education and Training achievements. Here we undertake a range of activities C HAIRPERSON’ S REPORT 3 3 which support individual participating students and also significantly contribute to our priority of capacity-building within Indigenous communities. So far, eight trainees have completed vocational qualifications and have gone on to gain full-time employment in the health sector. Sixteen PhDs have been awarded to CRCATH post-graduate students, ten students have graduated at Master’s level in sci- ence education or public health, and five students have graduated with Bachelor of Science degrees with honours. There are currently almost one hundred post-graduate students enrolled in our programs. Our fast-tracking of Indigenous personnel has resulted in four individuals