Team Honoured at ECU Vice Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Award Ceremony

At the recent ECU Vice Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Awards Ceremony, UDRH SW Director Professor Beth Armstrong and Research Team were honoured for pioneering work in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander brain injury rehabilitation.

Since 2010 Beth has led a national multidisciplinary team of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal researchers focused on improving service delivery and quality of life for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people after brain injury. The research is based on collaborative community and health service provider partnerships, with the voice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with brain injury at the centre.

This collaborative program of research has been achieved by ongoing, active and meaningful collaboration with organisations across Western Australia.  One project, Healing Right Way, focussed on innovation and capacity building of an Aboriginal workforce as being integral to successful rehabilitation and support services. This included the world-first Aboriginal Brain Injury Coordinator role, trialled in rural and metropolitan WA and providing a successful follow-up support model for Aboriginal patients with acqiored brain injury. It has also focused on upskilling the non-Aboriginal workforce in the hospital sector in culturally secure service delivery and research methods. Another project, Brain injury Yarning Circles, provided a model for community support groups for people after stroke and traumatic brain injury based in Aboriginal community centres in rural and metropolitan locations and led by Aboriginal staff.

The research has engaged with leaders in health, education, and policy sectors, increasing awareness of brain injury in Aboriginal populations across Australia and putting culturally secure brain injury rehabilitation on the health services agenda. It has directly contributed jobs and training of hospital staff and community based Aboriginal health workers and clinicians and vital service delivery. There has been overwhelmingly positive response from the health workforce and from Aboriginal health practitioners and community groups. The work has generated national and international interest evidenced through invitations to undertake workshops, seminars and media engagements, and to deliver keynote presentations. The team’s ongoing work currently focuses on recovery from concussion in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations across Australia.

Photo L to R – Prof. Neil Drew, Ms Kerri Colegate,  VC Clare Pollock,  Prof. Beth Armstrong, Dr Jane White, Prof. Natalie Ciccone