MICHELLE REDMAN-MACLAREN

ABOUT ME

Hello and welcome to my page. I am an Anglo-Celt born on Gubbi Gubbi country who grew up on a farm on Gomaroi Country (near what is now known as Narrabri). I enact inclusive, developmental and decolonising research with peoples of Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. 

As a social worker specialising in community development and human service management, I have worked in rural, remote and international settings for almost 25 years. For my PhD research (2012-2015), I worked with women in PNG to explore HIV prevention options. 

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My current public health research is co-facilitated to:

*Improve sexual and reproductive health;

*Reduce transmission of infectious diseases;

*Understand and reduce impacts of climate change; and

*Strengthen health and NGO systems.

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I have a strong practical and theoretical track record in facilitating research capacity strengthening with grassroots communities, community-based organisations and tertiary institutions, in Australia and a number of Pacific nations. This was evidenced during my service as Associate Dean, Research Education in the College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University (2020-2022). I centralise an 'All Teach, All Learn' approach to research capacity strengthening in my research and higher degree by research supervision. 

As a poet researcher, I use a variety of arts-based methods in my research. I particularly use poetry to enhance research - both as a tool for critical reflection and for advocacy (I also write poems about birds!). You can watch my TEDx talk 'Can poetry make you healthy?' 

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I (irregularly) share information about the Pacific, Indigenous Health, action research, women, public health and poetry on Twitter: @shelmaclaren