Indigenous Communities and COVID -19: Menzies School of Health Research Response with Professor Alan Cass

Globally we are living in unprecedented times; and in Australia, Menzies School of Heath Research is leading the way.

At Menzies, our work in health is led and driven by the needs of communities in the Top End of Australia and South East Asia.

These communities are burdened by chronic health conditions and in the current situation with the COVID -19 pandemic they are even more at risk.

Menzies is at the forefront of responding to this pandemic, particularly as it applies to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. 

Join our webinar with Professor Alan Cass who will discuss how Menzies is meeting these challenges head on and making a difference in fighting this pandemic. 

Professor Alan Cass
Professor Cass is the Director of Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies).

Headquartered in Darwin, Menzies employs over 250 staff across Australia and the Asia Pacific region.

Since opening its doors in 1985, Menzies core commitment has been to be improving Indigenous health and well-being and addressing the highest priority health problems of communities across northern Australia and our region.

Having trained as a kidney specialist at Sydney University and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Professor Cass has pursued a research career with particular interest in the prevention and management of chronic disease and Indigenous health.

His research has focused on developing, implementing and evaluating effective strategies to improve health outcomes.

Professor Cass has a comprehensive understanding of health service delivery needs of Indigenous Australians. For example, as a clinician, he has worked in a hands-on capacity providing care to patients and family members in urban, rural and remote settings.

Professor Cass has been instrumental in leading the conduct of national and international clinical trials; conducting research to improve access to services and to improve provision of care to patients with low health literacy, who speak a different language and have different understandings of health and illness.

Professor Cass has published more than 250 peer-reviewed papers and seminal reports for governments and NGOs. 

He is immediate past-President of the ANZ Society of Nephrology (kidney specialists); Board Member for Top End Health and Hospital Services, the NT Heart Foundation, Australian Clinical Trials Alliance and Australian Spinal Cord Injury Network.

Moderator Vicki Kerrigan
Vicki Kerrigan believes stories have the power to inspire positive change.

She has two decades of experience as a reporter and presenter at ABC Radio stations across the country. As a presenter on ABC Darwin, Vicki started to question why the mainstream media dominated by non-Indigenous storytellers (herself included) struggled to tell Aboriginal stories well. So began her research journey exploring the socio-cultural factors which affect Indigenous settler communication.

Currently working with Aboriginal leaders, the Top End Health Service (TEHS) and the NT Aboriginal Interpreter Service she is undertaking a PhD, embedded in the ‘Communicate Study’. The PhD project explores the barriers to effective communication between Aboriginal patients and hospital-based doctors in Darwin and the power of patient stories to challenge negative stereotypes. Drawing on her experience as a broadcaster, Vicki is piloting a series of cultural education podcasts which reveal the patients experience of hospitaL.