Research
The Poche Centre for Indigenous Health supports and conducts a range of research programs aimed at improving the health and well-being of Indigenous people.
Culture
Mental health and social and emotional wellbeing issues are estimated to account for 22 per cent of the life expectancy gap for Aboriginal people. The historical legacy, intergenerational suffering, chronic stress, contemporary trauma and loss, and disadvantage—particularly in education—all contribute to poor mental and physical health and chronic disease.
The centrality of culture and wellbeing to promoting good mental health in Indigenous communities is widely acknowledged and has been recognised in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan.
Traditional healers and cultural healing practices play a fundamental role in nurturing the emotional and social wellbeing of Aboriginal communities. Aboriginal culture is a resilience-building, preventative health measure.
Poor mental health and social and emotional wellbeing issues contribute significantly to the life expectancy gap for Aboriginal people. The historical legacy, intergenerational suffering, chronic stress, contemporary trauma and loss, and disadvantage, particularly in education, all contribute to poor mental and physical health and chronic disease.
The key aims are the recognition of Aboriginal knowledge and cultural understanding in health and the promotion of wellbeing and positive mental health for Aboriginal young people across a range of settings.
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Education) and Dean of the School of Indigenous Studies, Professor Jill Milroy will lead the work in this area.
Health service interventions for better prevention and management of chronic disease for Aboriginal people
Cancer and cardiovascular disease account disproportionately for poor health and the life expectancy gap in Aboriginal people.
Research in this area will concentrate on two chronic diseases, cancer and cardiovascular disease, which account disproportionately for poor health and the life expectancy gap in Aboriginal people.
While death rates from these chronic diseases have substantially declined in the general population, this has not been the case for Aboriginal people.
Winthrop Professor Sandra Thompson, Director of the Western Australian Centre for Rural Health, will lead this area.
Improving health, disability and developmental outcomes for Aboriginal children
There is good evidence that intervention in the first two years of life can prevent cycles of impairments and improve long-term neurodevelopmental and mental health outcomes.
However, there has been a paucity of research on the impact of child development and disability services for Aboriginal children and there is little evidence about the effectiveness of current service models in improving access to and quality of developmental and disability care for Aboriginal children.
The key aim is to improve access to and quality of child development and disability services for Aboriginal children to improve their health, disability and developmental outcomes.