December 2, 2021

Professor Kathleen Clapham wins First Nations Health, Wellbeing and Health Services Research Award

Professor of Indigenous health chosen for commitment to social justice, self-determination, empowerment, and improved health for First Nations people

Professor Kathleen Clapham has been named as winner of the new First Nations Health, Wellbeing and Health Services Research Award at the Health Services Research Association of Australia & New Zealand end of year event.

Professor Clapham is the founding Director of the Ngarruwan Ngadju: First People’s Health and Wellbeing Research Centre based within the Australian Health Services Research Institute at the University of Wollongong (UOW).

She was chosen for the award for her commitment to social justice, self-determination and empowerment for First Nations people; for the work she has done to engages, uplifts and advances First Nations knowledge and peoples; and for her considerable contributions to First Nations health gains.

A descendent of the Murrawarri people of north-western NSW, Professor Clapham is a senior Aboriginal researcher and anthropologist. Her research in Indigenous health focuses on health equity; safety, health and wellbeing of children and young people; community based interventions; social and cultural determinants of health; and health services improvements.

Under Professor Clapham’s leadership, Ngarruwan Ngadju has a vision to provide Indigenous-led health and wellbeing research, sustained by strong and enduring community partnerships.

The Centre recognises and enhances the leadership of Aboriginal researchers and builds research capacity by supporting Indigenous higher degree research students across UOW.

The work of Ngarruwan Ngadju exemplifies Professor Clapham’s life-long commitment of contributing to the health gains of First Nations peoples and advancing First Nations knowledge and peoples.

This commitment draws from her more than 25 years of outstanding contribution to the field of Indigenous health research, working to address the social determinants of health and her continuous advocacy of First Nations worldviews including social justice, self-determination and empowerment, particularly for the Aboriginal communities of the Illawarra and South Coast of NSW.

The Health Services Research Association of Australia & New Zealand promotes health services research in both Australia and New Zealand. It facilitates communication across researchers, and between researchers and policymakers, to promote education and training in health services research, and to ensure sustainable capacity in health services research in Australia and New Zealand.