Poche Centre for Indigenous Health

21/09/2026

🌟 Staff Spotlight: Meet Jack DeLacy
This week, we're shining a spotlight on Jack DeLacy, Senior Lecturer in Indigenous Health (Sydney Medical School) and Senior Research Fellow at the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health. A Public Health Audiologist, Jack’s work focuses on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child ear health and hearing, early childhood development, health equity, community-led research, and culturally safe health and medical education. Through partnerships with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, he works to address the social determinants of ear health and improve access to culturally responsive care.
Some of Jack’s recent highlights include:
✅ Supporting the ACCESS (Aboriginal Community Controlled Ear-health Support System) project, a community-led and holistic model of care designed to improve access to ear and hearing services for Aboriginal children and families.
✅ Contributing to the development of ACCESS+, which uses systems approaches to ensure community voices and priorities guide the future direction of ear health services, research, and implementation.
✅ Championing innovative approaches to care, including health navigation and integrated models of care that support children and families across the health system.
✅ Working alongside Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations to strengthen child health outcomes and promote community-led solutions.

Why Jack does this work:
“Healthy hearing is fundamental to connection. It allows us to communicate, build relationships, learn from one another, participate in education, and pass knowledge from one generation to the next. I often say that the ear is one of the most important organs in the body because it underpins so much of what connects us as people. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, hearing also supports connection to culture, language, Country, and community. I am passionate about ending avoidable childhood deafness so that every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child can thrive.”

What guides Jack’s work?
" I am immensely fortunate to learn from the strength, knowledge, and leadership of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities. They continue to demonstrate world-leading approaches to caring for community, teaching, governance, research, and creating safe spaces for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. I strive to build genuine relationships and not just partnerships. This philosophy guides how I approach research, teaching, and community engagement. Meaningful change is built on trust, respect, and long-term relationships. It is a privilege to work with the Poche Centre, whose mentorship, support, and commitment to community-led research have enabled me to pursue my aspiration of helping end avoidable childhood deafness and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families, and communities to thrive."
📚 Research Profile: https://profiles.sydney.edu.au/jack.delacy/about

13/09/2026

🌟 Staff Spotlight: Meet A/Professor Simon Graham
This week, we're shining a spotlight on Simon Graham, a proud Narungga man, Associate Professor, and S*xual Health Team Lead at the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health. Simon’s research focuses on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and viral hepatitis among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Through collaborations across disciplines, his work has also contributed to research in smoking and va**ng, mental health, trans health, and COVID-19.
Some of Simon’s recent highlights include:
✅ Leading research that aims to improve sexual health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.
✅ Returning to Australia in 2024 after six years working internationally with leading organisations and institutions across New York, London, Vancouver, Berlin, and Bangkok.
✅ Receiving the Australasian S*xual Reproductive Health Award in 2024 and the NHMRC Sandra Eades Investigator Grant Award in 2022.
✅ Leading a four-year quality improvement trial with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in regional NSW, which tripled STI and blood-borne virus testing rates and doubled the identification of asymptomatic infections among young Aboriginal people.
✅ Supporting and mentoring emerging researchers and students, including supervising postgraduate research projects and publications.

Why Simon does this work: "What inspires me about sexual health research is that while we have effective tests and treatments for infections such as chlamydia, rates continue to rise, particularly among young people. Understanding and addressing the broader drivers of infection is critical. I hope my work helps reposition sexual health testing as a normal part of healthcare for Aboriginal young people and removes the shame and embarrassment often associated with testing."

What motivates Simon most?
"Seeing students and staff publish their first papers or receive their first grants is incredibly rewarding. Supporting the next generation of researchers is one of the most meaningful parts of my role."

📖 Featured Publication
Gibberd AJ, Ford EM, Graham S, McKay CD, Chamberlain C, Williams R, Davis K, Eades SJ. Contraceptive awareness and use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth: a cross-sectional analysis from the 'Next Generation Youth Wellbeing Study'. S*x Health. 2026 Apr 9;23(2):SH25117. doi: 10.1071/SH25117. PMID: 41588924. (Simon supervised the second author throughout this research project, which was undertaken as part of a Master of Public Health degree at the University of Melbourne)

📚 Research Profile
https://profiles.sydney.edu.au/simon.graham1

06/09/2026

🌟 Staff Spotlight: Meet Claudia Alarcon Espinoza
This week, we're shining a spotlight on Claudia, a proud Chilean woman, Senior Research Fellow at the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, and social psychologist committed to advancing social justice, gender equity, and community wellbeing.
Claudia brings extensive experience across higher education, public policy, equity and inclusion, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. Her work combines research, education and systems change to create more equitable, inclusive, and culturally responsive environments.
Some of Claudia’s recent highlights include:
✅ Supporting the development of Australia's first Indigenous lactation training program through the Upholding Sovereign Knowledges project.
✅ Contributing to international Indigenous knowledge-sharing initiatives that are informing culturally responsive maternity and infant health programs: Preventing Intrapartum Fetal Hypoxia – The iSEARCH (WOMBAT) Pre-Platform Pilot.
✅ Supporting the community-informed implementation of the What Matters 2 Adults (WM2Adults) wellbeing measure for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health consumers.
✅ Contributing to the evaluation of the Central West Mental Health and Wellbeing Program and other community-led social and emotional wellbeing initiatives.
✅ Helping strengthen culturally responsive breastfeeding support and professional training programs grounded in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander priorities.
Why Claudia does this work:
"I believe research should not only generate knowledge but also contribute to creating a more equitable, inclusive and just society. I am motivated by the opportunity to work alongside communities and support meaningful change that strengthens wellbeing, self-determination and equity. Ultimately, I see research as a tool for empowerment that can amplify voices, challenge injustice, and support healthier and more equitable futures for all."
📚 Research Profile
🔗View Claudia’s academic profile: https://profiles.sydney.edu.au/claudia.alarconespinoza

31/08/2026

🌟 Staff Spotlight: Meet Matilde Breth Petersen (Tilly)
This week, we're shining a spotlight on Tilly, a Research Fellow at the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health.
A proud Danish woman, Tilly’s research focuses on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and social and emotional wellbeing, with a strong commitment to community-led, strengths-based, and culturally responsive research approaches. Some of Tilly’s recent highlights include:
✅ Supporting the consumer-informed implementation of the WM2Adults wellbeing measure across Sydney Local Health District.
✅ Contributing to the evaluation of the NSW Health Building on Aboriginal Communities' Resilience (BACR) initiative, exploring community-defined enablers of resilience and approaches to su***de prevention.
✅ Supporting the Connecting our Way project, which aims to strengthen culturally meaningful approaches to social and emotional wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and communities.
✅ Contributing to the evaluation of the Central West Mental Health and Wellbeing Program, exploring culturally responsive, community-led models of care.
Why Tilly does this work:
"What inspires me most is working alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colleagues, communities and organisations, learning from and being guided by community priorities, knowledges and strengths. I feel privileged to contribute to community-led research that supports meaningful change and helps decolonise public health and psychology spaces."
📚 Research Profile
Interested in learning more about Tilly’s work? 🔗 View Tilly’s research profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Matilde-Breth-Petersen

20/08/2026

Staff Spotlight: Meet Adubi
This week, we're shining a spotlight on Adubi Plange, a Research Project Officer at the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health. Adubi is a proud iTaukei (Indigenous Fijian) and Ghanaian woman, bringing a strong commitment to community-centred research and meaningful engagement with communities.
Her work focuses on supporting research that is grounded in collaboration, co-design, and respectful partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.
Some of Adubi’s recent highlights include:
✅ Co-authoring and co-presenting an abstract at the Australasian Research Management Society (ARMS) Annual Conference 2026 in Perth (Boorloo), exploring how research managers can better support meaningful co-design and engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.
✅ Contributing to important discussions on blackcladding in research and how research managers can better support authentic co-design and meaningful community engagement.
✅ Advocating for research practices that centre Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices, priorities, and lived experiences.
✅ Supporting research and education initiatives that strengthen equity, representation, and community-led approaches.

📄 Conference Co-Presentation
"From Tokenism to Trust: Addressing Blackcladding and Building Research Manager Confidence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research." Australasian Research Management Society (ARMS) Annual Conference 2026.

Why Adubi does this work:
"Community-focused work has always been where my passion lies, both personally and professionally. As a Pacific Islander and African woman, I feel an incredible sense of pride in my cultures. Research has historically been used as a tool to disenfranchise Indigenous peoples across the world, but it can also be a tool for liberation. That belief motivates me every day to work in research and education, with the hope of contributing to work that centres the voices and experiences of communities that have too often been overlooked."

14/08/2026

🌟 Staff Spotlight: Meet Seaneen Wallace
This week, we're shining a spotlight on Seaneen, a proud Gunggari and Bundjalung woman and Knowledge Exchange Aboriginal Lead for the Charles Perkins Centre and Poche Centre for Indigenous Health.
Seaneen works to strengthen connections between researchers and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, supporting the development of a Knowledge Exchange that builds community capacity, supports existing research, and helps ensure future research is guided by community priorities.
With a background in clinical management and public health research within the government health sector, Seaneen is particularly passionate about paediatric health and health systems research.
Some of Seaneen’s recent highlights include:
✅ Leading and supporting initiatives that strengthen partnerships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and researchers.
✅ Helping ensure community priorities are reflected in research planning and knowledge exchange activities.
✅ Supporting capacity building and opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to engage with research.
✅ Contributing to a forthcoming publication in Health & Place exploring Aboriginal children's, young people's, and carers' experiences of accessing and receiving care through tertiary paediatric health services.

Why Seaneen does this work:
"I hope that the work I do can contribute to small changes across the health system to better suit our mob. I feel incredibly lucky to do work that I find fulfilling, that allows me to connect with community, and to work alongside so many amazing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people."

📖 Forthcoming publication:
A qualitative study exploring the experiences of Aboriginal children, young people and their carers in accessing and receiving care at tertiary paediatric services.
Health & Place

Learn More About Seaneen’s Research
🔗 View Seaneen’s research profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Seaneen-Wallace

10/08/2026

📢 We're pleased to invite you to our next Journal Club on Tuesday, 25 August at 10AM. This session will discuss the publication "The epidemiology of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in Queensland, 2017–2021: a population-level cohort study using linked administrative data"; read here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.5694/mja2.70052
Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) prevention remain a national priority for First Nations communities. This important paper presents the first output from the Queensland End RHD Project, providing population-level estimates of the incidence and prevalence of ARF and RHD across Queensland. Lead author Dr Carl Francia will present the findings and discuss their significance for policy, practice, and future research.
Register here: https://events.humanitix.com/copy-of-poche-centre-journal-club-august-2026

We invite you to our August Journal Club. We will be joined by Dr Carl Francia who will presenting his paper published in the Medical Journal of Australia

06/08/2026

🌟 Staff Spotlight: Meet Deanna Kalucy
This week, we're shining a spotlight on Deanna, Research Administration Manager at the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health.
With expertise in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, qualitative research, evaluation, and health services research, Tina has spent her career supporting research that is community-led, meaningful, and focused on creating positive change.
Some of Deanna’s recent highlights include:
✅ Contributing to research exploring Aboriginal women's experiences of hospital maternity care in New South Wales.
✅ Supporting projects that strengthen the evidence base for culturally safe health services and programs.
✅ Working across research, evaluation, and policy initiatives that help translate evidence into practical improvements for communities.
✅ Championing collaborative approaches that ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices remain central to the research process.

📖 Recent publication:
Crook, C., Nixon, J., Kalucy, D., Sherriff, S., Winch, S., & Bailey, S. (2025). Exploring Aboriginal Women's Experiences of Hospital Maternity Care in NSW. Prepared for the NSW Ministry of Health.

Why Deanna does this work:
"Throughout my career in Aboriginal health research, I have seen the power of community-led research to influence policy, strengthen services, and improve health and wellbeing outcomes. I am motivated by the opportunity to work alongside Aboriginal-led and community-led research teams and help translate ideas into meaningful action. I feel privileged to support research that keeps community voices at the centre and contributes to culturally safe programs, services, and positive change."

24/07/2026

This week, we're shining a spotlight on Kai Clancy, a proud Wakka Wakka man and Research Associate at the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health.
Kai’s research focuses on sexual health, alcohol and other drugs, and transgender health, with a strong interest in advancing health equity and improving access to culturally safe care through collaborative, community-informed research.

Some of Kai’s recent highlights include:
✅ Leading a soon-to-be-published first-author paper in the Lowitja Journal.
✅ Contributing to a growing evidence base for Sistergirls, Brotherboys, and trans and gender diverse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
✅ Undertaking research that explores mental health, social determinants of health, and experiences of accessing healthcare and support services.
✅ Working in partnership with communities to ensure research is culturally responsive, community-informed, and focused on priorities identified by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Why Kai does this work:
"What motivates me most is the opportunity to contribute to research that has the potential to improve health outcomes and reduce inequities for communities that have historically been underrepresented in research. I am particularly passionate about ensuring that research involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and trans and gender diverse communities is undertaken in partnership, is culturally responsive, and centres community priorities."

📖 Latest publication (forthcoming):
"Sistergirls, Brotherboys and trans and gender diverse mob: A cross-sectional study of mental health, social determinants and service access" (Lowitja Journal)

15/07/2026

🌟 Staff Spotlight
This week, we're shining a spotlight on Victoria Sinka, a proud Pitjantjatjara and Australian South Sea Islander woman, Research Fellow, PhD Candidate and NHMRC Postgraduate Scholar at the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, whose work is helping to strengthen kidney health and wellbeing through community-led, culturally safe approaches.
Working within the Antecedents of Renal Disease in Children and Young People (ARDAC) Kidney Health Study, Victoria’s research focuses on chronic kidney disease prevention, community-led health promotion, systems thinking, and strengthening culturally safe, community-driven approaches to kidney wellness. She also serves as a Chief Investigator on mental health and social and emotional wellbeing program evaluation initiatives.
Some of Victoria’s recent highlights include:
✅ Partnered with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations to strengthen kidney wellness and prevention initiatives.
✅ Supported the establishment of two expert kidney working groups, helping elevate kidney health as a priority within a 10-year Aboriginal community-controlled health strategy.
✅ Contributing to a landmark community awareness initiative that put a "spotlight on kidney disease" through the illumination of a significant local building.
✅ Facilitated Yarning Circles with more than 100 community members in 2025 and recently published research exploring Aboriginal young people's perspectives on chronic disease prevention.
Why Victoria does this work:
"I am passionate about working alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to create meaningful, community-led change. What inspires me is the opportunity to support communities to lead solutions that reflect their priorities, strengths and aspirations. I hope my work contributes to greater health equity, strengthens community self-determination, and supports healthier futures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities."

📖 Latest Publication
Sinka, V., Kerr, M., Dickson, M., et al. (2025). The Perspectives of Young Indigenous People on Chronic Disease Prevention Programs: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies. Journal of Adolescent Health, 77(2), 181–190: https://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(25)00151-X/fulltext