Research

BASW

Jenni, whose parents emigrated from the UK in the 1960s, grew up in Perth’s northern suburbs. She moved to Rubibi (Broome) on Yawuru country 15 years ago. In 2019 family responsibilities drew her down to Kinjarling (Albany) on Noongar country, however she and her family returned to Broome in 2022.

A Social Worker with more than 30 years’ experience across the Government, Not-for-Profit, and Private sectors in both Australia and the UK Jenni has worked in a range of settings including Community Development, Alcohol and Other Drugs, Mental Health, Sexual Health/Violence, and Criminal Justice.

Jenni has a vision of health equity and social justice for all. She sees culturally safe, trauma and violence informed care as essential to delivering improved health and social and emotional wellbeing outcomes for Aboriginal people.

Jenni joined KAMS in May 2023 to coordinate the Wellbeing Informed Care – Kimberley Project. She provides capacity building support the KAMS Social and Emotional Wellbeing service and supervises Social Work students on placement in the KAMS Research Team.

Jenni can be contacted on jenni.lowe@kamsc.org.au

Clinical Researcher – University of Western Australia, Rural Clinical School of Western Australia
MBBS FRACGP FAFPHM PhD

Emma is a general practitioner, public health physician, and early career researcher who has lived and worked in the Kimberley since 2014.

She is passionate about doing what she can to ensure equity of access to health services for Kimberley people and optimise prevention of chronic conditions.

For KAMS Emma oversees the Public Health Registrar Training Program and sits on the Kimberley Aboriginal Health Planning Forum (KAHPF) Chronic Disease and Research Sub-committees.

Emma has a teaching and research role with the Rural Clinical School of Western Australia. She enjoys teaching research skills and public health to students and trainees. She supervises medical students, junior doctors, and registrars.

Her current research interests include kidney transplant equity, chronic kidney disease prevention, diabetes, and rural and remote health.

Emma can be contacted on emmag@kamsc.org.au or emma.griffiths@uwa.edu.au

Senior Research Fellow – University of WA, Rural Clinical School of WA and School of Population and Global Health
BA, MA, PhD

Emma has Irish and Norwegian heritage and has spent her younger years between the eastern seaboard and the red centre. Having lived in Broome for more than 14 years, Emma recently relocated to Perth.

Emma is motivated by the principles of health equity. She is interested in how culturally secure methodologies, systems approaches, and implementation science can lead to change which is acceptable and sustainable. Emma has a strong interest in Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) and working with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACHHS) to improve approaches to supporting community wellbeing.

Emma works for KAMS one day per week as the Project Lead for the Wellbeing Informed Care - Kimberley (WIC-K) project. The WIC-K project works closely with ACCHS to strengthen the systems that support the provision of holistic wellbeing focused primary health care.

Through KAMS Emma also remains heavily involved in national efforts to implement the Kimberley Mum’s Mood Scale as a culturally secure approach to yarning with Aboriginal women about mood and wellbeing during the perinatal period.

Emma is also connected with the University of WA through the School of Indigenous Studies, Rural Clinical School of WA, and School of Population and Global Health. Emma works closely with Professor Pat Dudgeon via the Transforming Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing project and the Boorn Centre.

Through UWA Emma is involved with the SEWB Clinical Coding project, SEWB Pilot Evaluation, and Bigiswun evaluation.

Emma can be contacted on emma.carlin@kamsc.org.au or emma.carlin@rcswa.uwa.edu.au

Research Fellow – University of Western Australia, Rural Clinical School of WA

Erica Spry ‘Roobaanjarn’ is a Traditional Owner of the Bardi Jawi native title lands. She is a prominent leader in the Kimberley region, with family connections to Kija (East Kimberley), Pilbara, and far north Queensland.

Erica has extensive expertise in community and cultural brokerage, demonstrating active engagement with grass roots communities from townships to very remote Aboriginal communities for over 30 years. She has led projects in various areas of land management, legal aid, and health research resulting in substantial positive outcomes for Kimberley Aboriginal people.

Erica represents KAMS on the Kimberley Aboriginal Health Planning Forum (KAHPF)’s Maternal, Child, Youth, and Family Health Sub-committee. Erica is also a Co-Chair of the RCSWA’s Reconciliation Action Committee and a member of RCSWA’s Research and Evaluation Steering Committee.

Erica is an early career researcher who works on collaborative heath projects as part of her dual role. Erica’s particular focus has been on addressing health disparities. She has dedicated her career to improving the lives of Aboriginal people in Western Australia’s remote Kimberley region and beyond. Erica is currently involved in several collaborative research projects focussed on child and maternal health and diabetes. She is co-lead for the Be Healthy project and ORCHID Study. She is also involved in the Kimberley Mums Mood Scale and Wellbeing Informed Care – Kimberley projects.

Erica can be contacted on research@kamsc.org.au or erica.spry@rscwa.edu.au