Jessica Lea Payne
2026 Fellow
Jessica is a proud Yuwaalaraay woman from the grass country of the Yuwaalaraay Euahlayi people. As the mother of two boys, her heritage instils in her a deep sense of reciprocal duty of care for kin, community, and country. This cultural foundation guides her personal and professional life, shaping her values and commitment to finding meaningful change to improve health and social outcomes that are grounded in self-determination of the people whom these changes effect.
Jessica is a registered nurse and emerging researcher and Stolen Generations support worker. Holding postgraduate qualifications in both emergency and maternal critical care. Over the course of her career, she has gained significant experience working across regional, rural, and remote health sectors and is dedicated to building capacity for Aboriginal-led health and wellbeing research and ensuring the delivery of culturally safe care.