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Professor Kathleen Clapham

Director Woolyungah Indigenous Centre

Contact Details:

• Building 30, Room G07N

• Ph: 02 4221 4245

• Fax: 02 4221 4244

• Email: kclapham@uow.edu.au

Education:

Doctor of Philosophy
University of Sydney, 1990

Bachelor of Arts (Hons)
University of Sydney, 1981

Introduction:

Kathleen is the Director of the Woolyungah Indigenous Centre and the Coordinator of the Aboriginal Studies Honours Program. Kathleen is a descendent of the Murrawarri people of New South Wales. She has a PhD in Anthropology and has worked in higher education and research since 1985, specialising in Indigenous health research and education.

Prior to this taking up the position of Director of Woolyungah Indigenous Centre in June 2007. she worked as Senior Research Fellow at The George Institute for International Health (2003-2007). From 1995 to 2002 she held leadership positions in Indigenous health at The University of Sydney, including the position of Head of Yooroang Garang: School of Indigenous Health Studies.

She has a strong record of leadership in Indigenous health teaching. Her current research interests include injury prevention in Indigenous communities; Indigenous community development; health and social disadvantage; and Indigenous health workforce development. The focus of her present research is the development of resiliency based interventions to prevent injury among Aboriginal children and youth in NSW.

Awards:

2006: Australian Injury Prevention Network Meritorious Award for Research

Teaching:

Kathleen is the coordinator of the Aboriginal Studies Honours Program which will be offered for the first time in 2008. Her current teaching interests include Indigenous health and community development; Indigenous Injury Prevention; Race and Health inequalities.

Research Interests:

The focus of Kathleen’s current research is the development of resiliency based interventions to improve Aboriginal child and family health and well being in NSW. She has a strong interest in multi-disciplinary research to address complex health and social issues in socio-economically disadvantaged Indigenous communities. In particularly she is interested in working on practical solutions to problems through public health interventions, education programs, community based solutions and the translation of research into policy and practice.

Kathleen is currently involved in a number of large National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funded research projects. She is first named investigator on Safe Koori Kids: Community Based Approaches to Injury Prevention, a 3 year study (2006-8) which involves the development of a school and community based intervention to prevent injury to Aboriginal children and youth in South West Sydney. She is one of a team of Chief Investigators on large NSW cohort study of Aboriginal child health, Study of Environment on Aboriginal Resilience and Child Health (SEARCH).

Other current projects include, the Evaluation of the Blacktown Aboriginal Safety Promotion Program funded by NSW Health and the Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW; and a capacity building project Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention Program for Rural and Remote Aboriginal Health and Community Workers which is being carried out in collaboration with The George Institute for International Health, Yooroang Garang; School of Indigenous Health Studies and the Bourke Aboriginal Medical service.

From 2005-6 she was a Team Investigator on an NHMRC Population Health Capacity Building Grant in Injury Prevention, Trauma and Rehabilitation (ITR), which is a collaborative program auspiced by the NSW Injury Risk Management Research Centre, The University of New South Wales (UNSW); The George Institute for International Health, University of Sydney (USyd); Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute (UNSW); the School of Public Health and Community Medicine (UNSW); and the Rehabilitation Studies Unit (USyd). Kathleen is a co-author of the report, Injury Prevention Activity Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, which informed the development of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Safety Promotion Strategy.

Research Key Words:

• Social Determinants of Indigenous Health

• Injury prevention and safety promotion in Aboriginal communities;

• Health and social disadvantage

• Community based interventions

• Indigenous health workforce development.

Publications:

Searchable RIS publications

Selected Publications

Clapham K, O’Dea K, Chenhall R. Interventions and Sustainable Programs. Carson B, Dunbar T, Chenhall R, Bailie R. Social Determinants of Indigenous Health. Sydney: Allen

Clapham K, Ivers R, Lyford M, Stevenson M. Understanding the extent and impact of Indigenous road trauma. Injury: International Journal of the Care of the Injured 2008; 39 (Supplement 5): 519-523.

Ivers R, Clapham K, Lyford M, Stevenson M. Injury Prevention in Australian Indigenous Communities. . Injury: International Journal of the Care of the Injured 2008; 39 (Supplement 5): 561-567.

Clapham K, Stevenson M, Sing KL. Injury profiles of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in New South Wales. Medical Journal of Australia 2006;184 (5): 217-220.

http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/184_05_060306/contents_060306.html

Clapham KF, Di Gregorio K, Dawson A, Hughes I. The Community as Pedagogy: Innovations in Indigenous Health Worker Education. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management 1997; 19 (1): 35-43.

Clapham K, Khavarpour F, Mouwen S, Chan OM with the BASPP Evaluation Sub-Committee. Evaluation of the Blacktown Aboriginal Safety Promotion Program. Report prepared for NSW Health and NSW Roads and Traffic Authority. February 2008.

Clapham K, Khavarpour F, Ivers R. Stevenson M. An Evaluation of the Lismore Driver Education Program ‘On the Road’. Attorney General’s Department of NSW 2005. http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/cpd/ll_cpd.nsf/pages/CPD_projects#driver

Clapham K. Injury Prevention Activity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Volume 2: Programs, Projects and Actions. Canberra: Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing 2004.

Current Research Activity:

Investigation of Indigenous road injury: A pilot study to examine key factors relating to road injury in Indigenous communities in New South Wales. Research supported by the Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW. In collaboration with The George Institute for International Health, University of Sydney. 2008-9

Out of luck and out of town: exploring the needs of Aboriginal women with drug-and-alcohol and mental-health problems in rural and regional NSW. Research supported supported by the Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol Research Grants Program. In collaboration with South Coast Medical Service Aboriginal Corporation (lead agency). 2008-9

Safe Koori Kids: Community Based Approaches to Indigenous Injury Prevention. Research supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

In collaboration with The George Institute for International Health and Yooroang Garang: School of Indigenous Health Studies. 2006-2008

Website: http://www.thegeorgeinstitute.org/safekoorikids/

SEARCH – Study of Environment on Aboriginal Resilience and Child Health. Research supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) A Health Start to Life Program. In collaboration with The University of Sydney and the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW. 2005-2010

Current Research Students:

McLennan, Vanette (PhD, University of Sydney), Associate supervisor with Dr Freidoon Khavarpour and Dr Linda xxxx.

McLean, Hannah. (BA Hons, University of Wollongong). ‘Indigenous Music’, Co Supervised with Dr Colleen McGloin.

Kelly Pollitt, (BA Hons, University of Wollongong). ‘Conceptual Frameworks in Drug and Alcohol Services in relation to Indigenous Clients’, Co Supervised with Dr Colleen McGloin.