Collaborate, consult, culturally safe: working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to prevent health-related harms

Dr Kriscia Tapia

Research Fellow and Project Manager, Strong & Deadly Futures 

When developing educational health programs, we need to consider the broader life circumstances that influence people’s access and engagement. Sometimes our social situations can create barriers that are outside of our control and affect the accessibility and implementation of services.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the first peoples of Australia, having lived on this continent for more than 60,000 years. They are one of the oldest and most resilient groups that also face discrimination that impact their access to life-saving preventative health programs and information.

To help navigate some of these challenges, researchers from the University of Sydney are collaborating with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia to adapt evidence-based health research to be culturally inclusive of the needs of these distinct and diverse groups. Some examples include translating language, including traditional customs, and the rejection of harmful stereotypes when communicating to broader populations.

Dr Kriscia Tapia has spent years working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to figure out how to create safe, culturally respectful, and evidence-based breast cancer health strategies. Now at the Matilda Centre, she is working in partnership with an Aboriginal Reference Group for Strong & Deadly Futures. Currently under clinical trial, the Strong & Deadly Futures program provides culturally inclusive drug and alcohol prevention for secondary schools across Australia.

We chat with her about her journey to the Matilda Centre, her highlights about working in breast cancer and substance use prevention education, and what she recommends for those looking to work in the space. 

My journey to the Matilda Centre feels like a story with a few plot twists. I started as a project manager at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Cumberland Campus, working on breast cancer research with Professors Patrick Brennan, Warwick Lee, and Mary Rickard. We were building Australia’s first online BreastScreen radiologist assessment program, helping detect cancer early and reduce false positives, which can weigh heavily on women.  

That work sparked my admiration for research and its power to change lives. Five years in, I met Professor Gail Garvey through Patrick and Mary, and together, they introduced me to a project on breast cancer screening among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in the Northern Territory. The disparities in health outcomes struck me, and I dove into a PhD under their guidance, studying mammographic density and breast cancer risk factors like alcohol and tobacco use among communities of women in the NT.  

After finishing, I took a 2-year break, managing projects in a nonprofit and other health research centres. When a fellowship opened at the Matilda Centre for the Strong & Deadly Futures program, and it presented a chance to work with Associate Professors Lexine Stapinski and Michael Doyle, I jumped at it. It felt like a return to the questions that first moved me: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, equity, and prevention.

In my PhD, I analysed retrospective adult data. Although I worked with Aboriginal health workers in Darwin to gather the information, essentially it was a world of numbers, where the data told the story of women’s risks and protective factors.

Now I focus on youth data, and this work feels more hands-on, involving workshops with young people and collaboration with educators and creatives to embed health promotion in classrooms.

While I love the data, I love connecting with people to try and understand their experiences and needs. 

Lots! Honestly, it has been a profound privilege working on Strong & Deadly Futures. My favourite part is the time spent getting to know people, listening to their stories, hearing about their families, and learning about what makes people feel strong and healthy. 

As a migrant from the Philippines, I feel a responsibility to understand this land’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait history, its depth and truths. Engaging in this work has not only grounded me in this place but also connected me more deeply to my own history and culture. 

I also love working with creatives, artists, and students to co-create something that resonates with the communities they represent and promoting health and wellbeing. I'm excited to be doing just that through Strong & Deadly Futures, having recently launched into a year-long community consultation phase to co-design a vaping prevention program for youth.

I think allyship is the foundation. That means allowing for self-reflection, deep listening and a willingness to learn. Set out to stand beside communities, not speak for them.

Just like working on any research project, it’s important to have a great team and support system around you to help navigate the challenges. All in all, have heart and grit in equal measure!

Interested in learning more about Dr Kriscia Tapia’s work in supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities with culturally inclusive health education and prevention programs? Connect with her on LinkedIn and visit Strong & Deadly Futures.