Professor Shawana Andrews

Director

Professor Shawana Andrews is a Palawa Trawlwoolway woman, Director of the Melbourne Poche Centre for Indigenous Health and Associate Dean Indigenous in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at The University of Melbourne.

Shawana has over 25 years’ experience working in Aboriginal health. Her career started as a clinical social worker in paediatric health during which time she worked with Victorian Aboriginal communities to enhance access to tertiary health care for Aboriginal children. Shawana completed a Master of Public Health in 2006 and worked in policy and research within the hospital system before moving to higher education.

Shawana’s PhD focused on family violence and cultural practice methodologies and in her current role she leads the Poche Centre in its delivery of Indigenous health leadership advancement. Shawana’s leadership as Associate Dean Indigenous focuses on truth-telling, Indigenous health teaching and learning, and post-doctoral pathways for Indigenous scholars. Her most recent book, Health - Spirit, Country and Culture is part of the First Knowledges series.

Shawana’s research areas include: Aboriginal graduate research candidate experiences and social capital, place and purpose of Aboriginal health leadership, Aboriginal mothering practices and family violence, Aboriginal feminisms and gendered knowledges, and cultural practice-based methodologies.

Dr Emily Munro-Harrison

Academic Lead Indigenous Health Leadership

Dr Emily Munro-Harrison (Wiradjuri) is the Academic Lead Indigenous Health Leadership.

Her research interests include participatory and creative methods and using research as a tool for activism and change, which she has done in a range of settings including in prisons, youth programs and higher education spaces. She has worked for over a decade on a range of research projects focused on First Nations health and wellbeing including connection to place and culture, community and family support, prevention of violence, and working with young people to develop desire-based frameworks for the future.

Joshua Paulson

Indigenous Health Leadership Project Officer

Joshua (Josh) Paulson is a proud Worimi and Bundjalung man and the Indigenous Health Leadership Project Officer at the Melbourne Poche Centre for Indigenous Health.

Joshua is a Registered Nurse with over 18 years’ experience in health, across acute, sub-acute, in patient, community, public and private sectors. He has worked in physical rehabilitation, aged care, Aboriginal Community-Controlled, mental health, drug and alcohol, clinical leadership and management, and clinical quality assurance and governance settings.

Hiring

Manager of Indigenous Student Programs

This role in undergoing recruitment. Please contact Tahlia Eastman for enquiries about PhD pathways.

Tahlia Eastman

Indigenous Graduate Research Program Coordinator

Tahlia Eastman is a Research Fellow and PhD candidate in the Indigenous Studies Unit, where she explores the concept of passing and its relationship to the sociopolitical landscape of Aboriginal identity in Tasmania. Her research aims to strengthen identity and enhance health outcomes for Indigenous communities, with her fieldwork focused in Tasmania, where her Aboriginal family is from.

Tahlia completed a first-class Honours postgraduate thesis on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity politics at the University of Melbourne. As a Research Fellow, Tahlia investigates family violence policies, service delivery, and legal support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women experiencing family violence.

She is also part of the team working on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Curricula Project and is beginning her work on the Community Data Project. Previously, she served as a Research Adviser at the Lowitja Institute, where she was a key researcher on various initiatives related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health policy.

Contact Tahlia for enquiries about the PhD Graduate Research program.

Jenn Johnston

Executive Assistant

Jenn Johnston oversees the administration for the Melbourne Poche Centre, in addition to managing the Leadership program logistics and providing executive support to the Director, Professor Shawana Andrews.

Jenn has almost 30 years’ experience with The University of Melbourne, across various centres and departments including the Department of Microbiology, and the Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity.

Contact Jenn for general enquiries about the Melbourne Poche Centre.

Dr Odette Mazel

Senior Research Fellow

As Senior Research Fellow at the Melbourne Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, Odette leads the research and evaluation program to enhance the impact and reach of the Centre’s activities. Odette has published in areas relating to Indigenous human rights and self-determination, Indigenous student access to higher education, and agreement and treaty making with Indigenous communities.

Odette has been a Senior Research Fellow for the international Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education (LIME) Network, contributing to Indigenous health initiatives in medical education; and Research Fellow for the ARC Linkage Project, Agreements, Treaties and Negotiated Settlements (ATNS), examining treaty and agreement making with Indigenous peoples.

Contact Odette for information about our research projects.

Hannah Fagan

Communications and Projects Coordinator

Hannah (non-Indigenous) is a creative storyteller with experience in employee, customer and digital communications. She uses data-driven insights to drive business outcomes, with a strong focus on the needs of the end user and audience.

Contact Hannah to update your details on the website, share a story or to promote an event, job opportunity or publication.