The following list is indicative of the types of projects that may be available to research students within the ESP Division.  Other projects may be available by negotiation, provided suitable supervision can be arranged.  Potential research students are encouraged to read the descriptions of existing ESP projects for ideas about projects and potential supervisors.  More information is available by contacting the relevant project leader.

Physical and social environments

Environmental health – Ross Bailie (Ross Bailie@menzies.edu.au)

·         Analysis of data from the Housing Improvement and Child Health (HICH) Study. This includes data relating to the environmental, social and economic circumstances of adults and children living in 11 communities across the NT where there have been major infrastructure project conducted over the past year or so. This data set is unique in that it includes follow up data from before and following major infrastructure projects in a wide range of communities. The variables cover a wide range of issues that may have influenced/been influenced by the infrastructure projects. The data is also very topical in terms of current major policy initiatives in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

·        Development of tools to support implementation of evidence based and continuous quality improvement approaches to improving environmental health in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Social environments – Joan Cunningham (joan.cunningham@menzies.edu.au)

• Analysis of data from the 2002 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS) on a range of topics, including:
  • experiences of racism and health-related outcomes
  • stressors and supports
  • self-assessed health status
  • development of a disparities index for Indigenous Australians
• Analysis of the social and health impacts of demographic change (e.g. reducing fertility, remote to urban migration) on Indigenous populations.  Demographic features, such as fertility, mortality, migration, and the formation of families and households, are relevant to the medium to long term health of a population. The Indigenous population is extremely diverse and dynamic, yet there are gaps in our understanding due to inadequacy of data.
• Analysis of data from the Darwin Region Urban Indigenous Diabetes Study (DRUID) on racism, stress and/or culture and identity and health-related outcomes.
• Interviews/focus groups with DRUID participants who had divergent experiences in terms of racism and/or health-related outcomes.
• Analysis of data from the Housing Improvement and Child Health Study (HICH) on experiences of racism and health-related outcomes.
• ‘Researched to Death’: Investigating the burden of health research for Indigenous Australians.
• Development of anti-racism interventions in Darwin using data from the 2005 Racism Project national survey.
• Historical analysis of datasets from the Social Science Data Archives looking at topics such as ‘conditions for Aborigines in Australia’, ‘attitudes to Aborigines’, ‘images of the Australian Aboriginal in illustrated newspapers’, and ‘attitudes to Aboriginal broadcasting’.
• Discourses of racism in Indigenous autobiographical accounts in Australia.
• Evaluating the health and social impact of sport and recreation programs.

Health-related services, systems and policies

Health services – Ross Bailie (ross.bailie@menzies.edu.au)

• Various projects relating to the Audit and Best Practice in Chronic Disease (ABCD) program

Health services – John Condon (john.condon@menzies.edu.au)

• Assessing health service demand, performance and outcome for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people using clinical information systems in primary care services

Cancer services and treatment outcomes – John Condon (john.condon@menzies.edu.au)