Ray James Award goes to Interplay Project

Congratulations to a Flinders University team of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal researchers who have received the 2019 Ray James Award for excellence and innovation in health promotion research, by the Australian Health Promotion Association (APHA).

Centre for Remote Health PhD candidate Dr Rosalie Schultz, Associate Professor Sheree Cairney together with Senior Aboriginal Community Researchers Tammy Abbott and Jessica Yamaguchi, received the award for their paper: Injury prevention through employment as a priority for wellbeing among Aboriginal people in remote Australia, based on findings of the Interplay Research project.

The research paper describes how:

  • meaningful employment for Aboriginal people has cross-cutting benefits
  • building on the strengths and knowledge of Aboriginal people in remote regions provides opportunities that are lost when we focus on disease or disadvantage
  • remoteness and people’s connection to remote parts of Australia are assets
  • people in remote regions have unique expertise in managing their Country when they are on-site for the work
  • working on Country improves fitness and diet. People also reported benefits through passing on traditional knowledge, strengthening identity, empowerment, reducing access to alcohol, and rehabilitation, thereby reducing interpersonal conflict, violence and injury.

The importance of these findings is demonstrated by an interest in the work, by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and Department of Environment and Energy.

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Centre for Remote Health (CRH) Flinders NT Flinders University