Research Projects

Centre for Research Excellence – Strengthening Systems for Indigenous Health Care Equity (STRIDE)

Project Summary

STRIDE’s vision is equitable health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Centre undertakes a range of quality improvement and collaborative implementation research which aims to strengthen primary healthcare and its connections with broader systems that impact on health and wellbeing. The work is based on growing evidence of the importance of community-driven, culture-strengthening interventions in Indigenous primary health care settings. Our way of working puts the strengths, needs and aspirations of Indigenous people at the centre of the research process informed by methodologies that reflect Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing and advance international Indigenous scholarship.

Our Investigators

  • Associate Professor Veronica Matthews
  • Professor Ross Bailie
  • Professor Megan Passey
  • Emma Walke

Collaborators

  • Associate Professor Roxanne Bainbridge, University of Queensland
  • Professor Sarah Larkins, James Cook University
  • Professor Janya McCalman, Central Queensland University
  • Associate Professor Megan Williams
  • Dr Nikki Percival, University of Technology Sydney
  • Associate Professor Catrina Felton-Busch, James Cook University
  • Professor Yvonne Cadet-James, Apunipima Cape York Health Council
  • Kerry Copley, Aboriginal and Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory
  • Renee Blackman, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service
  • Dr Paul Burgess, NT Government
  • Dr Sean Taylor, NT Government
  • Associate Professor Deb Askew, University of Queensland
  • Dr Michelle Dickson, University of Sydney
  • Dr Kathleen Conte, University of Sydney
  • Candace Angelo, University of Sydney

Partner organisations

This project is funded through the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and supported by the University of Sydney, Central Queensland University, James Cook University, University of Technology Sydney, Apunipima Cape York Health Council, University of Queensland, Aboriginal and Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service and the Northern Territory Government.

Status/timing

STRIDE is funded from 2020–2024.

What is a Centre for Research Excellence?

The prestigious NHMRC Centres of Research Excellence funding scheme supports clinical, health services and public health research that aims to improve health outcomes for Australians and promote the translation of research outcomes into policy and/or practice. The intent is to bring together some of Australia’s best health and medical researchers in collaborations to explore and develop new solutions to significant health problems. Funded centres focus on health issues of profound importance for patients and communities.

What drives the investigation team?

STRIDE involves leading researchers from across Australia who have expertise in health systems and quality improvement research, participatory action research, Indigenous methodologies, epidemiology, public health, health and social policy. The investigation team has outstanding national and international reputations and track records, and half of our investigators are First Nations. Our collaborative research program is built on shared principles that aim to support Indigenous leadership and co-leadership.

What type of projects does STRIDE undertake?

STRIDE focuses on collaborative research that aims at long term quality improvement in primary health care systems. There are four research streams:

  • Strengthening community engagement in quality improvement processes. This aims to develop, refine and test methods, tools and strategies for effective consumer and community engagement in quality improvement processes to enhance service responsiveness to community and consumer needs and improve health care outcomes.
  • Strengthening health system capacity for quality improvement. This aims to embed quality improvement processes further within clinical and non-clinical domains of comprehensive primary healthcare, for example strengthening service governance and workforce; engaging staff and management in quality improvement; and developing service-relevant best practice tools to address identified challenges, such as clinical follow-up.
  • Quality improvement of social and emotional wellbeing. This aims to co-design, develop, apply and evaluate organisational continuous quality improvement interventions to support to social and emotional wellbeing.
  • Quality improvement for health promotion and prevention. This aims to build, refine, and test quality improvement tools and processes for application in cross-sector, multidisciplinary chronic disease prevention and health promotion efforts.

What do we expect to achieve through the work of STRIDE?

The principal aim of STRIDE is to support the growth and work of our collaborative network, all of whom are focused on strengthening Indigenous primary health care through participatory research. By working with established collaborations, and building new collaborations across sectors, we will maximise our impact. We hope to achieve a substantial contribution to building the next generation of Indigenous primary health care researchers in university and practice-based settings. We want our collaborations to extend quality improvement interventions to new areas, including chronic disease prevention and health promotion and improve social and emotional wellbeing for children and adolescents. We hope to strengthen capacity for conducting and using research to improve primary health care systems and support knowledge translation and implementation relevant to ongoing high-quality research.

Resources

More information about STRIDE is available on the dedicated project website.