UCRH proudly joined a global community of Indigenous health leaders, researchers, and advocates at the 2025 Lowitja Institute International Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Conference, held last week under the powerful theme Strong, Fearless, Together.
This biennial event is a cornerstone for sharing knowledge grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing. UCRH was well represented, with a diverse team of researchers contributing to the conference’s rich program of presentations, posters, and community-led discussions.
Highlights from UCRH Contributions
UCRH staff and collaborators presented a wide range of innovative and community-driven research, including:
- Air Quality and Respiratory Health
Caroline Deen and colleague Dr Kisani Upward (Heart Research Institute) shared their work on co-designing culturally appropriate air quality resources to improve respiratory health in Aboriginal communities across NSW. - Digital Wellbeing for the Workforce
David Edwards and Sharnie Roberts from the WellMob project explored strategies for supporting workforce wellbeing and self-care in an increasingly digital world. - Community-led Climate Adaptation
Aunty Patricia Frank, Nicole Frank and Jimmy Frank (Wilya Janta) joined with Associate Professor Veronica Matthews and Kris Vine to present on co-creating evaluation approaches that reflect community values and leadership in climate adaptation. - Story-Data Mapping for Country’s Health
Aunty Lyn Dimer (The Kids Research Institute Australia) and Kris Vine delivered both a poster and oral presentation on weaving Indigenous knowledges through story-data mapping to reflect the health of Country and community. - Rights-Based Climate Action
Associate Professor Veronica Matthews and Kris Vine joined with colleagues Associate Professor Nina Lansbury (University of Queensland), Francis Nona (Carumba Institute) to advocate for Indigenous rights-based approaches to climate change policy and action through the release of their Lowitja published discussion paper, Indigenous-led Rights-based Approaches to Climate Litigation. - Consumer-Led Health Evaluation
Associate Professor Emma Walke, Tracey Piccoli and team presented a poster on the VOICE project, highlighting outcomes from consumer yarning circles that validate what communities value in healthcare. - Mental Health and Climate Resilience
Former UCRH team member Danielle Cameron did two presentations, one on a powerful two-way learning story on decolonising facilitation and cultivating safety, and the other with Alison Laycock and belonging after extreme weather events, through the lens of a mental health first aid trainer.
A Strong, Fearless, and United Presence
UCRH’s presence at the Lowitja Conference reflected our ongoing commitment to Indigenous-led research, community partnerships, and culturally grounded approaches to health and wellbeing. The conference provided a vital platform for amplifying Indigenous voices and showcasing research that is not only academically rigorous but deeply rooted in community priorities and we are grateful that UCRH researchers were able to attend, share and learn.
