Project

Improving the Health Inequality Experienced by Indigenous Australians

Roxanne Bainbridge

DOI: 10.26303/hak1-av37

What is it about?

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (henceforth referred to respectfully as Indigenous Australians with full acknowledgement of their cultural and historical diversity) receive substantially lower access and poorer quality of healthcare compared to non-Indigenous Australians. While there has been considerable health and medical research aimed towards correcting this gap, much of it has not translated into actual policy. Moreover, a lot of this research ignores indigenous values and principles.

No one understands this better than Professor Roxanne Bainbridge, Professorial Research Fellow at the Central University of Queensland, Australia. Prof. Bainbridge, a Gunggari/Kunja woman, began her journey as a leading voice in the field at James Cook University, when in 2010, when she wrote her Ph.D. dissertation on the agency of Indigenous Australian women. Since then, she has used her expertise in research impact assessment and evaluation, improvement sciences, systematic literature review, and auto/ethnographic approaches to develop government and community health and education resources for Indigenous Australians.

Over the past 10 years, Prof. Bainbridge has been attracted over $37.230 million spread over 52 grants. She served as Lead/Chief Investigator on all these grants.

With 119 research articles and 12 book chapters, Professor Bainbridge’s work focuses on the empowerment and social inclusion of Indigenous Australians and on strengthening Australia’s primary healthcare systems to provide equitable healthcare. A specific focus of her research is the social determinants of Indigenous Australian health and wellbeing. She has also provided culturally constructive critiques to researchers and policymakers to provide new understandings of health, wellness, and illness among Indigenous Australians. She has, furthermore, brought her many talents to diverse projects in Indigenous health, including mental health and suicide, adolescent psychosocial wellbeing, child and maternal health, palliative care, and education and pedagogy.

Prof. Bainbridge also serves as Adjunct to the Cairns Institute at James Cook University and Senior Atlantic Fellow for Social Equity at the University of Melbourne/the University of Oxford. In 2017, she was named a The Atlantic Philanthropies Atlantic Fellow for Social Equity. She followed that with a The Atlantic Philanthropies – Rhodes House University of Oxford Senior Fellowship in 2018. Prof. Bainbridge also serves as a Mentor Supervisor to numerous Indigenous Australians in a Public Health and Health Services context.

Why is it important?

The health inequality experienced by Indigenous Australians is significant. Indigenous Australians find it difficult to access primary healthcare services for multiple reasons, including but not limited to racism, unemployment, and low education levels (also as a result of poor access). By centering Indigenous Australians and their values, and further empowering them to own and manage their own healthcare, the social and cultural barriers to accessing healthcare and education can be torn down.

Audience briefings1 total

Press briefing

Addressing the Health Disparity between Indigenous and Non-indigenous Australians through Social Inclusion and Empowerment

21st September 2021, Queensland – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (henceforth referred to respectfully as Indigenous Australians with full acknowledgement of their cultural and historical diversity) are the traditional custodians of the lands and waters of Australia. In recent decades, there has been an increase in the visibility of their inequality and oppression. Correspondingly, there has been an increase in research focused on improving their access to quality health and education.

But much of this research does not translate into actual policy, nor does it include the values and principles that Indigenous Australians hold. Addressing this inequality and empowering Indigenous Australians forms the core of Professor Roxanne Bainbridge’s research. A professor at the Central University of Queensland, Australia, Professor Bainbridge has used her expertise in research impact assessment and evaluation, improvement sciences, systematic literature review, and auto/ethnographic approaches to develop government and community health and educational resources for Indigenous Australians.

Indigenous Australians find it difficult to access primary healthcare services for multiple reasons, including but not limited to racism, unemployment, and low education levels. A Gunggari/Kunja woman herself, Professor Bainbridge understands the importance of centering Indigenous Australians and their values in any research and policy on their healthcare. Her culturally constructive critique provides new understandings of health, wellness, and illness in Indigenous Australians to researchers and policymakers. Some of the main focuses of her research are the social determinants of Indigenous health and wellbeing. Another key area of her work is strengthening Australia’s primary healthcare systems to provide equitable healthcare.

Professor Bainbridge has brought a vast array of knowledge to diverse projects in Indigenous health, including mental health and suicide, adolescent psychosocial wellbeing, child and maternal health, palliative care, and education. At present, she is the lead investigator in a 4-year national assessment project of the Commonwealth Government’s investment in Indigenous primary healthcare. She is also leading an Australian research council project on engaging adolescents to improve mental healthcare in Indigenous primary healthcare services. Let’s hope that Professor Bainbridge’s research is one of many to come that will push for policies and changes on the ground aimed at tearing down the walls between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian citizens.

Resources1 total

Who is involved?