Alfred Health Week 2023 – Panel members
Panel Discussion: A collective impact for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
An open discussion with Alfred Research Alliance researchers, and an aboriginal elder, to discuss;
- The scepticism of research within the indigenous community
- The challenges we face but what we can do in research and clinical care
- How we create a culturally safe environment
- How we can attract indigenous researchers to want to work at this precinct.
Facilitated by Jack Latimore, Indigenous Affairs Reporter, The Age.
The panel included:
Dr Jessica O’brien, Cardiologist and PhD Student, Alfred Health/Monash University
Dr Jessica O’Brien is an Aboriginal woman from central west New South Wales and imaging cardiologist working at Alfred Health. She is undertaking her PhD with Monash University’s Central Clinical School, investigating the role of cardiac MRI in diagnosing acute rheumatic fever and predicting who is at highest risk of developing rheumatic heart disease. While conducting this project Jess is also examining how Indigenous methodologies can be incorporated into biomedical research undertaken in institutional settings.
Professor Anthony Russell, Director Endocrinology and Diabetes, Alfred Health
Tony is Alfred Health’s Director Endocrinology and Diabetes
Tony was the former Director of the Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, a pre-Eminent staff specialist for Queensland Health and an Adjunct Associate Professor with the Centres for Health Services Research at The University of Queensland. Tony’s research interests are around models of care for management of diabetes. He has established an integrated model of care for the management of complex Type 2 diabetes, established a telehealth service delivering Endocrine services to a number of centres in rural and remote Queensland and tested the use of mHealth technology in a new model of care in a tertiary diabetes service.
Tony has 120 peer reviewed publications and has attracted over $9 million dollars in research funding.
Associate Professor Neale Cohen FRACP, Head Clinical Diabetes, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
Associate Professor Neale Cohen is the Head of Diabetes Clinical Research. He is an endocrinologist and has practiced at the Institute for over 20 years. His research interests include Indigenous diabetes, technology and diabetes and diabetic complications.
