University of Western Australia
Prominent Indigenous scholar Professor Patricia Dudgeon from The University of Western Australia will shine the spotlight on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing, self-determination and the upcoming Voice Referendum at a free public lecture next week.
The Robin Winkler Lecture, an annual event hosted by the UWA School of Psychological Science, honours the legacy of Robin Winkler, a highly influential teacher and researcher at the School and an inspirational advocate for equitable access to psychological services and the pursuit of social justice.
Professor Dudgeon, from the Bardi people in Western Australia, is a psychologist at the Poche Centre for Aboriginal Health and the School of Indigenous Studies at UWA.
Image: Professor Patricia Dudgeon will give the 2023 Robin Winkler Lecture.
Her research encompasses Indigenous social and emotional wellbeing and suicide prevention and she is director of the Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention at UWA.
Professor Dudgeon also leads a national research project, Transforming Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing, which looks to develop approaches to Indigenous mental health services that promote cultural values and strengths as well as empowering users.
The mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has become a critical issue with statistics indicating an entrenched, and worsening, mental health crisis. Suicide is the leading cause of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 to 34 years, accounting for one in three deaths.
In her lecture, Professor Dudgeon will outline the significant national projects UWA has led to address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide prevention, as well as providing an overview of the concept of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing.
She will also discuss what the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice Referendum means to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the potential wellbeing impact of a yes or no vote.
The free public lecture will be held next Tuesday 12 September at the Social Sciences Lecture Theatre at UWA from 6pm to 7.15pm. The talk will run for 40 minutes, followed by an interactive audience Q&A session, with registration details here.