OnTRACK Centre for Research Excellence

The OnTRACK CRE artwork is by Maar Nation-Gunditjmara artist, Sherry Johnstone. Sherry designed the logo to represent the OnTrack CRE, as follows: "I have used a tree as the main object to represent health for Aboriginal people as they need to be connected to their culture, family and Country in order to feel at their best, like a tree needs air, water and is connected to Mother Earth through its roots, to stand tall and strong. I have done the brain as the treetop which can also be looked at as just the top of the tree but inside the brain is all the connections that will be made through this program, with the circles representing the different mobs and community groups that will benefit from the information and the green connecting lines representing the connections and networking it will create through-out Australia. The pattern in the tree trunk represents water nourishing the tree for optimal health and longevity, just as it does for our people. The leaves on the outside represent Country and bush medicine as being connected to Country is Aboriginal people’s medicine. We can never underestimate the healing power of Country and the deep sense of well-being it creates, pleasing all the senses. The journey lines represent the people’s journey towards healthy choices to improve their brain health, which in turn, will affect many other areas in their lives that will also benefit. The footprints represent the people on their journey. At the bottom of the tree trunk is a pattern that represents Aboriginal people and non-Aboriginal people working together towards a healthier future."

On TRACK (Teaching, Research and Community Knowledges)

Promoting brain health with older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Our welcoming and collaborative team of highly experienced researchers is making a difference to the health and well-being of older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Dementia has far reaching consequences: for the diagnosed person, their family and friends, the wider community, the service system and economy. With an ageing population and changing socioeconomic and societal patterns impacting the determinants of health, the numbers of people affected by dementia, the costs, disability and carer burdens are predicted to grow exponentially over the next 30 years. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples the picture is more challenging. Although more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are now living well to older ages, many continue to experience poor health outcomes and reduced quality of life, and experience dementia at 3-5 times the rate of other populations with a younger age of onset.

Our vision is the improved health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at risk of developing or living with dementia, together with their carers, families and communities.

The OnTRACK Centre for Research Excellence (CRE) brings together researchers and communities in a safe, collaborative space to generate research, knowledges, tools, workforce innovation and outcomes targeting the multi-layered challenges of dementia for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Our CRE team of 10 Chief Investigators and 9 Associate Investigators come from leading universities and centres across Australia. With varied backgrounds and significant expertise in many health and related fields, we are in an ideal position to support and nurture post-graduate candidates from a range of backgrounds and in a diverse range of areas of Indigenous Health including:

o Brain Health and health promotion – dementia literacy and health communication

o Exploring culturally appropriate approaches to health communication

o Dementia risk factor reduction, prevention and diagnosis

o Developing a framework for biomarker and genomic research in Indigenous dementia

o Exploring the dementia journey with people who have multiple conditions

o Health service and workforce future planning to support improved brain health and care for people with dementia or at risk of dementia

o End of Life care and Advance Care Planning with older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

Chief Investigators

A/Prof Dina LoGiudice

Dina is a highly experienced Clinician Researcher specialising in dementia and geriatrics. She has worked collaboratively in a research program with First Nations peoples for more than 15 years. She is a visiting doctor at Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (since 2010) & co-Lead investigator with Prof Dawn Bessarab OnTRACK and Good Spirit Good Life CRE (also with Dr Kate Smith).
Professor Dawn Bessarab

An Aboriginal woman of Bard (West Kimberley) and Yjindjarbandi (Pilbara) descent, Dawn is a highly regarded and experienced senior social worker and researcher. She has particular interest in applying Indigenous research and qualitative methodologies. Dawn developed the framework on yarning as an Indigenous conversation which is now widely applied across the Australian and international communities. Co-lead investigator with A/Prof LoGiudice on OnTRACK and Good Spirit Good Life CRE.
Dr Kate Smith

Kate is a co-lead investigator on Good Spirit Good Life CRE. She is Research Lead/Lecturer in the Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health (CAMDH), a National Advisory Group for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care member, and an active research leader; policy and service advocate focusing on older First Nations peoples health and wellbeing.
A/Prof Luke Burchill

Australia’s first Aboriginal cardiologist whose clinical leadership and research in the field of adult congenital heart disease (CHD) are recognised internationally. He is a proud member of the Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Wurrung Nations.
Dr Kylie Radford

Dr Kylie Radford is a clinical neuropsychologist and Senior Research Scientist leading the Aboriginal Health and Ageing Program at NeuRA. This includes the Koori Growing Old Well Study (KGOWS), a NSW epidemiological study investigating ageing and dementia in urban and regional Aboriginal communities, and a range of translational projects to support ageing well.
Dr Adrienne Withall

Dr Withall is a Dharawal-Yuin woman, holding a combined research and teaching role in the School of Population Health, where she is Leader of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research Theme. She is an expert on ageing and mental health and her research focuses on promoting wellbeing, care and cognitive health for at-risk populations. She leads a sub-stream on Ageing at the Margins in the UNSW Ageing Futures Institute.
Ms Roslyn Malay

Roslyn Malay is a Yurriyangem Taam Kija woman from the East Kimberley region of Western Australia with expert knowledge on the complex social, environment and cultural issues that affect and influence the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people in the Kimberley. Since 2012, she has been Project Officer at UWA Centre for Health and Ageing (WACHA) and instrumental in improving the lives and health of people in her Communities.
Professor Leon Flicker

Professor Leon Flicker’s research within UWA’s Medical School focuses on the major health issues of older people, exploring general heath, falls, depression and cognitive impairment. He has been part of the team working with older First Nations people for more than fifteen years.
Professor Edward Strivens

Prof Eddy Strivens is a practising clinician and national leader in geriatric medicine and dementia, working in Far North Queensland for over 20 years. His research interests are in Culturally Appropriate Assessment, Healthy Ageing, Integrated Care and Models of Service Delivery. He has worked extensively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities in FNQ, linking research with clinical outcomes in these communities.
A/Prof Jeromey Temple

Jeromey is Associate Professor of Demography at CEPAR, and head of the Demography and Ageing Unit at the University of Melbourne (Population and Global Health). He is one of Australia’s few economic demographers and leads the Australian National Transfer Accounts (NTA) project.

Associate Investigators

Professor Sandra Thompson

Director WA Center for Rural Health, Professor of Rural Health, University of Western Australia.
Warkwick Padgham

Associate Director (Acting) Murrup Barak, Melbourne Institute for Indigenous Development, University of Melbourne.
A/Prof Robyn Woodward-Kron

Director of Research and Research Training, Dept of Medical Education, University of Melbourne.
Dr Lynette Goldberg

Speech Pathologist, Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, University of Tasmania.
Associate Professor Rosie Watson

Joint Laboratory Head, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medcial Research (WEHI), and clinician/researcher Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Dr Craig Sinclair

Post-doctoral Fellow, University of NSW & adjunct Senior Research Fellow, UWA.
Dr Shayne Bellingham

Senior Project and Research Manager, Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education (LIME) Network, University of Melbourne.
Dr Sean Taylor

Executive Director Aboriginal Health Practitioner, Top End Health Service. Adjunct Senior Clinical Research Fellow, James Cook Unviersity.
Associate Professor Jaqui Hughes

Nephrologist Royal Darwin Hospital & early career Research Fellow at Menzies School of Health Research.

Our welcoming and collaborative team of highly experienced researchers is making a difference to the health and well-being of older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Through the OnTRACK Centre for Research Excellence we have funding and capacity to support Indigenous scholars to complete higher degree research – starting in 2023. See below flyer for more information!

Why not join our team to complete your post-graduate studies?

We would love to hear from you!

Contact us if:

You want to make a real difference to the health and wellbeing of older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People and their communities
You’re planning a PhD (or Masters) and have an interest in the OnTRACK CRE research program
You want to be part of a strong, welcoming and collaborative team with great expertise

We’re open to engaging with scholars from anywhere in Australia.