My career focus is to contribute to the improvement of health and educational outcomes for the Australian population including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Cultural and Linguistically Diverse peoples.
I have extensive practical and applied research experience in a broad range of environments including urban, rural, tropical and remote Indigenous communities and with health care providers in the NT, WA, QLD and NSW. My research has been applied and focused on capacity building and changing practice and policy in: Mental Health; Chronic Disease Management; Health promotion and public health practice in Primary Health care providers; Pandemic Influenza; Hendra virus risks with Equine Vets; and Strongyloidiasis in Indigenous communities.
Much of my health and education sector experience was in the Northern Territory in tropical urban, rural and remote settings and has broadened to research with Aboriginal Medical Services and communities in NT, QLD, WA and northern NSW. From 1992-2007 I worked in Health Promotion; policy development; Research, Evaluation and Training; Management of Health Promotion and Public Health Services; and as an applied researcher.
I have extensive skills in leadership and management of multidisciplinary teams. I have authored sections of applied manuals for primary health care practitioners and have extensive experience in workforce development. My work from 1980-1991 was in the Education Sector as a teacher in Primary and Secondary Schools, a Faculty Senior in Health and Physical Education, and an Education officer in Health and Drug Education in the Curriculum Branch of NT Department of Education. This position worked with teachers in schools on Curriculum development, workforce development and training.
I am acknowledged nationally and internationally for my leadership in Health Promotion and Indigenous health. This is evidenced by my leadership in the Australian Health Promotion Association and from working in partnership with Indigenous practitioners in the International Network of Indigenous Health Promotion Professionals (INIHPP). I have contributed to the co-ordination of Indigenous workshops at the Annual Australian Health Promotion conferences since 2008; the Population Health Congresses (2008, and 2012), and the International Union of Health Promotion and Education Conferences since 1997.
My role from 2007 -2015 was to facilitate ground-breaking approaches to Higher Degree Research doctoral preparation and completions, applying approaches and lessons that contributed to and supported the Cohort doctoral studies program in the Division of Tropical Medicine and Health at James Cook University. I facilitate capacity building processes through mentoring and supporting researchers and HDR students. I currently supervise ten HDR students who are working in various health settings including Nepal, Malaysia and rural communities in Australia.
My current role as Professor of Health Promotion is a collaboration between CQUniversity, Wide Bay Health Services and Bundaberg Health Promotions Pty Ltd as a research Professor in Health Promotion. The aim is to build health promotion strategies and research capacity across these and other community organisations.
Doctor of Health Science (DHSc) Deakin University Burwood, Victoria 2006
Master of Public Health (MPH) James Cook University Townsville, Queensland 2012
Master of Education (MEd) Deakin University Geelong Victoria 1994
Dip Health and Physical Education (DipHPE) Wollongong Institute of Education, NSW 1981
P/T Senior Research Officer- School of Education and Arts, Townsville Campus, April-Oct, 2016
Casual Researcher - Central Queensland University- Office of the Pro Vice Chancellor Indigenous Engagement (2015)
Principal Research Fellow/Senior Research Fellow-James Cook University- Division of Tropical Health and Medicine (2012-2015)
Senior Research Fellow -James Cook University- School of Public Health Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences (2007-2012)
Curriculum writer and Co-ordinator Health Promotion Unit HLTH 9001 - Centre for Rural and Remote Health, Flinders University (2006-2007)
P/T Tutor of Health Promotion Behaviors and models- Semester 1-Queensland University of Technology (2002)
Curriculum writer and P/T Lecturer Communication skills extending Health promotion practice -Menzies School of Health Research (2000-2001)
Senior Research Officer- School of Education and Arts, Townsville Campus
Inaugural Advisory Panel of the Year Award – James Cook University-2012- Emeritus Professor Rick Speare ($1000) and Dr Jenni Judd ($1000).
The Mental Health Services Awards (TheMHS) –Category 4 Regional/ Rural/Remote programs Gold award-2007- http://www.themhs.org/achievement-awards/past-awards/2007-awards-finalists
Life Member of Australian Council of Health Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER) - 2005 for distinguished services to the Council and the Profession
Honorary Associate of Northern Territory University-2001-2003 for joint project with NTU Clinical School of Nursing- Health Promoting Hospitals
Visiting Scholar to University of British Columbia- 1999 Institute of Health Promotion Research August-December, 1999, British Columbia, Canada
Fellow of Australian Council Health Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER) -1996 in recognition of the outstanding role played in furthering the objectives of the Council
1992-1995 -A range of positions for coordination across the NT, and in Darwin Urban in Health Promotion, Women’s Health, Smoking and other Drugs, Alcohol and research, evaluation and policy and workforce development
-Australian Health Promotion Association since 1990;
-Public Health Association of Australia-2016-
-Australasian Evaluation Society-2014-
-ACHPER - Fellow 1996 and Life Member 2005
-International Union of Health Promotion and Education 2004-
-International Network of Indigenous Health Promotion Professionals
I am currently accredited for supervision in the following:
At the level of Mentor Supervisor