Courtney Ryder is an Aboriginal injury epidemiologist, Matthew Flinders Fellow, and Discipline Lead for Injury Studies in the College of Medicine and Public Health. Her work focuses on Indigenous Data sovereignty and transforming health narratives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
In 25 words or less, tell us what your research is about?
I am a trauma and injury epidemiologist who focuses on prevention and support initiatives. At the heart of this is working closely with Aboriginal communities on their research priorities.
How do you believe your research will impact patient care or public health outcomes?
The projects I am privileged to be a CIA or CI are focussed on community, consumer and industry priorities. It isn’t just ‘my research’ in terms of delivering these outcomes. As a researcher I am nothing without my team, nor the collective I engage and work with.
I would like to think the research outcomes generated by the Trauma and Injury Discipline work towards dismantling inequity gradients, through targeted trauma and injury policy, prevention and support initiatives. Particularly in improving health and wellbeing outcomes for Aboriginal communities. This includes being ‘a bit radical’ in forging new strength-based approaches to working with Indigenous Data to enact governance for sovereignty.
What do you enjoy most about being a researcher?
Grants … apparently, I’m obsessed… I also jest (that one was for you Rui).
Working with consumers, community and industry on their research priorities, with novel and innovative approaches which are different from ad-hoc ways. I particularly get a real thrill out of research capacity building. Especially in community settings, building the next generation and seeing the huge potential and growth is so exciting.
What do you do when you’re not researching?
What do you mean when I don’t research, there is life outside of research …?
Run … I run, I still compete with the South Australian Athletics League although each year I keep promising myself that I will retire soon. I also Muber my sporty kids around: netball, basketball, football, running … the list expands every year.
What advice would you give to aspiring health and medical researchers?
You are in a position of power, to create your own research path and journey for wherever you would like to go. However, in creating your path, create it well so that others can easily follow, and extend it for future generations.