Renowned health advocate to lead Jawun Research Institute
She's a passionate nurse and midwife, dedicated educator and prominent public health researcher - Professor Yvonne Cadet-James has joined CQUniversity as the Director of the Jawun Research Institute.
With more than two decades of knowledge and expertise in the health and education sectors, Prof Cadet-James will lead the team at the First Nations focused institute in engaged, impactful and innovative applied research.
As a proud Gugu Badhun woman of the upper Burdekin region in northern Queensland, Prof Cadet-James brings a valuable perspective to the Institute as a champion for First Nations health and wellbeing.
"From a very early age I wanted to be a nurse. At 16, I started my career as a Registered Nurse and later as a Registered Midwife," Prof Cadet-James said.
“I saw how many First Nations people suffered from poor health and did not always have a good hospital or treatment experience.”
After spending 20 years working in regional hospitals, the devoted healthcare advocate discovered she could make a bigger impact through academia, focusing on Indigenous research reform.
Prof Cadet-James has contributed to numerous research projects, including those funded by National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australian Research Council (ARC), Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), the Lowitja Institute, and also previously held the position of Chancellor of the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education.
“My personal and professional philosophy resonates with that of the Jawun Institute and CQUniversity overall, so this role was the ideal position for me,” she said.
“My vision going forward is to continue to work collaboratively with communities through a nation-building approach which strengthens capacity for self-governance and self-determination.
“To achieve this will also mean strengthening the research capacity and capability of CQU researchers, particularly First Nations researchers.”
Having worked previously in an advisory and mentor role at Jawun, Prof Cadet-James has already been a highly influential associate, providing demonstrations, workshops and helping to establish research agendas.
“Over many years I have worked with several Jawun staff, both in previous and current roles, and I have been involved in Jawun education and research activities over the last five years,” Prof Cadet-James said.
“I am very excited to take up this role and thank everyone for their warm welcome and support. I am very fortunate to be able to build on the outstanding leadership and achievements currently at Jawun.”
While based in Cairns, Prof Cadet-James said she was determined to drive First Nations research across the University’s footprint.
“I am excited about the work currently in place at Jawun through the clusters which are at various stages of development,” she said.
“This leaves open the opportunity to further this work through grant opportunities and/or add other topic areas to those clusters or develop new clusters.”
The Jawun Research Institute’s current project clusters include linguistics and culture, community-led mental health and genomics, collaborative research for community wellbeing, and disaster management and public health.
For more information on CQUniversity’s First Nations focused research, visit the Jawun Research Institute website.
