About Jawun Research Centre

CQUni's Cassi-Ann Seden, DIYDG's Semara Jose & TSS mentors with students from boarding schools across QLD. (2019)CQUni's Cassi-Ann Seden, DIYDG's Semara Jose & TSS mentors with students from boarding schools across QLD

History

Based in Cairns, Queensland, the Jawun Research Centre was officially launched in August 2017. The Centre is co-directed by Professor Adrian Miller and Janya McCalman and is complemented by a team of researchers, research assistants, and Masters & PhD students.

Founded on the basis of an NHMRC funded five-year adolescents resilience project, the work of Jawun Research Centre has expanded to include projects related not only to adolescent mental health but also transition to community control of primary health care services, workforce development, cultural competence, institutional racism, service integration and research impact.

Professor Adrian Miller

Professor Adrian Miller

Professor Miller is of the Jirrbal people of North Queensland and is the Deputy Vice President Indigenous Engagement and BHP Chair in Indigenous Engagement at CQUniversity Australia as well as co-chairing the Jawun Research Centre. His previous appointment was Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Leadership at Charles Darwin University. Other previous positions include Academic Director of Indigenous Education and Research and Professor of Indigenous Research at Griffith University, Professor and Head of School at Southern Cross University, Founding Head of the Department of Indigenous Studies at Macquarie University and Deputy Head of School at James Cook University. During the past 28 years in higher education, his experience has been in management, leadership, academic program development, teaching and research. He has a research track record in competitive grants with both the Australian Research Council and National Health and Medical Research Council grant schemes totaling almost $30M. He has a strong interest in applied research and twice been awarded the Australian College of Educators Teaching Award. Professor Miller has strong leadership experience and proven capacity for achieving positive outcomes for Indigenous communities in health and education.

Professor Janya McCalman

Professor Janya McCalman

Professor Janya McCalman is co-Director of CQUniversity’s Jawun Research Centre, a Professorial Research Fellow and a public health researcher with a background in health promotion practice. She is recognised for her extensive research on the interactions between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians with schools, workplaces, health services and other community contexts which enable resilience, empowerment and wellbeing. She has a Masters of Public Health and a PhD, conferred in 2013 with a Deans Excellence Award.

She conducts multi-method research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders partners, including the areas of Aboriginal mental health, social and emotional wellbeing, youth health, maternal and child health, health services research and implementation research. She has led systematic literature reviews, participatory action research, grounded theory and impact evaluation research projects which seek to inform improvements in resilience, empowerment-based health and wellbeing and the implementation of health programs and services. Her ability to report and publish research is prolific. She has received performance awards for research excellence, external income and publication outputs.

Her PhD was conferred in 2013; for this she won the Dean’s Award for Research Higher Degree Excellence. She currently supervises and mentors several Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal research students.

Collaborations

The Centre’s researchers currently collaborate extensively both nationally and internationally across disciplines, Indigenous research institutions & networks, communities, services and government departments.

Cross-disciplinary:

  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Medical Anthropology
  • Health Promotion
  • Education
  • Health Economics
  • Social Work
  • Psychology
  • Psychiatry

Research Institutions/Groups:

  • Lowitja Institute
  • International School on Research Impact Assessment
  • Berghofer Queensland Institute of Medical Research
  • National Indigenous Research and Knowledges Network
  • Menzies School of Health Research
  • Latrobe University
  • University of Queensland
  • University of Melbourne
  • Queensland University of Technology
  • Griffith University
  • University of Newcastle
  • University of the Sunshine Coast
  • University of Western Australia
  • Dalhousie University (Canada)
  • University of Victoria (Canada)
  • Massey University (NZ)
  • Anton Breinl Centre for Health Systems Strengthening
  • National Health and Medical Research Council
  • Australian Research Council

Communities:

  • Cape York and Palm Island communities
  • Yarrabah
  • Cairns
  • Toowoomba
  • Townsville
  • Dalby
  • Brisbane/Inala
  • Sunshine Coast
  • Grafton
  • Casino

Services/Government:

  • Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council
  • Gurriny Yealamucka Aboriginal Health Service
  • Apunipima Cape York Health Council
  • Yarrabah State School, Chancellor Park College
  • Gindaja Treatment and Healing Centre
  • Queensland Department of Education - Transition Support Service
  • N/QLD Primary Health Network
  • Headspace
  • Orygen Youth Health
  • Inala Indigenous Health Service
  • Bulgarr Ngaru Medical Aboriginal Corporation

There are clear links for increased professional development of staff at CQUniversity and beyond. This is part of the Centre’s strategic intent and will be achieved by contributing to the inclusive research culture at CQUniversity by engaging staff; providing opportunities for collaboration and consultancy; development of course provision; research CoP; and knowledge sharing opportunities.

Research Facilities

The Jawun Research Centre contributes to First Nations People’s self-determination through research governed by practices that value, respect and celebrate First Nations cultural knowledges.  

We are a (university) team that collectively supports the visions and priorities of the community partners we work with in health, well-being and preservation of culture through applying social justice principles of Indigenous sovereignty, engagement and leadership. 

The Centre is located on various campuses across Queensland and beyond, with key hubs in Cairns, Townsville and Brisbane. 

The Jawun Research Centre comprises five key integrated areas of research strength:

  1. The social and cultural determinants of Indigenous health across the lifespan;
  2. The social, health and economic impacts of Indigenous health programs and services;
  3. Research capacity strengthening;
  4. Reviews for synthesis of evidence of equity in Indigenous health; and
  5. Research translation, implementation and advocacy for change

Exemplar collaborative projects include:

  • Supporting the resilience of students from Cape York transitioning to boarding schools with Education Queensland;
  • Developing family-centred models of care for Apunipima Cape York Health Council; and
  • Defining a model of youth health by mentoring young people to opportunities for education, training and employment with Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service, the Queensland Department of Education and Training and The Streets Movement.

Smarter policy and practice decisions informed by the Jawun Research Centre research include:

  • Organisational change processes in community controlled health organisations and education services;
  • Resilience initiatives for Indigenous adolescents;
  • Models of family-centred maternal and child health;
  • Binge drinking prevention;
  • Homelessness;
  • Gambling; and
  • Men’s health.

Catch Up

Browse our past seminars, and their topics, to catch up on what's happening below, or email jrc@cqu.edu.au for access to past seminar recordings.