Flinders University’s Dr Maree Meredith has written a powerful article in Campus Morning Mail, explaining that a new approach is necessary to properly address changes in the the roles and operations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research centres.

As Acting Director of the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health at Flinders University, Dr Meredith has offered comment on a government re-set of the Closing the Gap health care strategy and the need to re-write the rules about prioritising relevant research.

Her article focuses on concerns that the capacity for ill Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to get back to full health is compromised by a narrow focus on the selection and delivery of medical care, without addressing people’s overall needs.

“The news that the Federal, state and territory governments are set to hand back some of the control over health programs to empower communities is a watershed moment for the nation, but requires a new model of research translation and two-way knowledge exchange to give it power,” says Dr Meredith.

The full article can be read here.