Associate Professor Odette Pearson is of Eastern Yalanji and Torres Strait Islander descent and coleads the Aboriginal Health Equity Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute. Her research focus is improving chronic disease and ageing outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through policy and guideline development and implementing and evaluating real world health and social interventions. Aboriginal leadership, governance and community and cross sector partnerships are foundations of her research. A/Prof Pearson has received the Lowitja Institute Patricia Anderson Leader in Aboriginal Research (2023), UniSA Alumini Award for Research in Aboriginal Health (2022) and The Diane Ranck, SAHMRI award for Leadership in Research (2022).
Working in primary health care in the Torres Strait, I saw first-hand the positive health and social outcomes of Torres Strait Islander people managing their own health and social affairs and the role of research in improving health outcomes for people with diabetes.
These experiences led to my passion for primary health care and its role in managing diabetes and my understanding of the need for Indigenous people to lead and govern their own affairs for real change to occur.
I have taken these into research that focuses on improving health and wellbeing outcomes of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.
Over the last decade, with a committed skilled team of researchers I have built a diverse program of research that enables and privileges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ governance of data, seeks to improve primary health care management of diabetes, and understands and supports healthy ageing.
Across these diverse areas the NHMRC Sandra Eades Investigator Grant Award enables me to draw together a cohesive and complementary program of research by focusing on identified drivers of health equity, Indigenous leadership and governance, measurement and monitoring, intervention and capacity development.
Research will include working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led primary health care services to establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander governed diabetes population monitoring system. The purpose of this system will be the continual improvement in managing the condition in primary health care settings, preparing for a longitudinal study of healthy ageing among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' access to and capability to work with our data.
I hope this research, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, will increase access to data to inform change and monitor, evaluate and refine health initiatives, as well as contribute to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples establishing and governing their own health and social data collections.
This research has national and international reach in sharing our knowledge of similarities, and relevant strategies and initiatives with Indigenous scholars of Aotearoa, Canada, and the United States.
The aim is for the research methods, outputs and findings to benefit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, with some outputs and findings relevant to all population groups across Australia and partnering countries.
Several key drivers of success will be strong, reciprocated and transparent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and organisational relationships and building and maintaining relationships with collaborating countries and partnerships with stakeholders.
