Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities to address methamphetamine use and eliminate sexually transmissible infections

The gap in health outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Australians remains a persistent legacy of European invasion and subsequent genocidal practices and policies. Working as researchers or health professionals with Aboriginal communities requires a specific understanding of the historical and social context of the community, and of the role that context plays in determining the health outcome of interest. In practice, this means that health interventions need to be multipronged, have appropriate governance arrangements, and sufficient potency to make a difference.

This webinar presentation covers two case studies of research projects led by Prof James Ward, that seek to make a positive difference in Aboriginal sexual health and methamphetamine use: ‘Novel interventions to address methamphetamine use in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities’ (NIMAC) and the ‘Ending-STI’ project. This webinar discusses some of the important features of working appropriately with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and – while research alone is never enough – some of the ways these projects are seeking to make a positive difference by using a lens that takes into account the broader context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander determinants of health.

This webinar was presented on 28th April 2022 by Prof James Ward (Director of the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, The University of Queensland) and Dr Rachel Reilly (Senior Research Fellow, Aboriginal Health Equity Unit, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute)

PDF handout coming soon! Watch the recording below: