Welcome to the latest edition of the Mayi Kuwayu News

Our people and communities have been saying for a long time that strong culture is important to our health and wellbeing

Mayi Kuwayu is the National Study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing

This project is a major longitudinal study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults that examines the connection between culture, health and wellbeing.

We appreciate your interest in the Mayi Kuwayu Study and welcome all new subscribers.

Mayi Kuwayu means to follow Aboriginal people over a long time in Ngiyampaa language.

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Mayi Kuwayu research featured in The Lancet

In December 2022. the international medical journal The Lancet published a special issue on Advancing racial and ethnic equity in health. The Mayi Kuwayu team contributed an article that used Mayi Kuwayu Study data to estimate how much interpersonal discrimination contributes to psychological distress among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults.

Some key results include:

• Two-thirds (64.6%) of the total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adult population have experienced any of the eight types of everyday discrimination we asked about in the Mayi Kuwayu Study survey.
• People who experienced any of these types of discrimination were almost three times as likely to have high/very high psychological distress compared with those who reported none of these types of discrimination.
• Everyday discrimination could explain up to half (49.3%) of the total burden of high/very high psychological distress in the population.

The Mayi Kuwayu team partnered with the Lowitja Institute to host the Australian launch of The Lancet’s special issue at the ANU on 10^th December 2023.  As part of the event, Ray Lovett presented results from the Mayi Kuwayu Study and a panel of guests spoke about system-level changes needed to combat racism.  A recording of the event is available here.

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Mayi Kuwayu sub-study: Kulay Kalingka

Cancer has a big impact on our mob, families and communities. As part of the Mayi Kuwayu study, the Kulay Kalingka Study is being launched mid-2023. Kulay Kalingka, for the first time, will provide an understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s beliefs about cancer and experiences with cancer care and treatment.

‘Kulay Kalingka’ means net bag in the water in Ngiyampaa language. The net bag is symbolic of how people and families fighting cancer can include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing concepts for cultural, medicinal, and spiritual healing, alongside clinical treatments.

Want to learn more or find out about the launch?
Head to www.kulaykalingkastudy.com.auCatch us on Facebook or Instagram.

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Local Context training

In February, members of the Mayi Kuwayu Study went to Hamilton, Aotearoa (New Zealand) to participate in training put on by Local Contexts.

Local Contexts is a global initiative that supports Indigenous communities with tools that attribute cultural authority of heritage and data. One tool provided by Local Contexts is the Traditional Knowledge and Biocultural labels. These labels were created to ground intellectual and cultural property rights in cultural heritage, data, and genetic resources. The labels are used for online data sources.

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Apply for the 2024 Master of Philosophy in Applied Epidemiology (MAE) Program

Do you want to be on the frontline addressing public health?
If so, the MAE is for you.

The Master of Philosophy in Applied Epidemiology (MAE) Program is Australia’s long standing and globally recognised Field Epidemiology Training Program.  This is a two-year research degree that emphasises learning by doing.  You will spend the majority of your time in a field placement conducting useful and important projects under supervision while supported via a tax-free scholarship of $62,100 in 2024.

In addition to the MAE Scholarship, you are encouraged to apply for top up scholarships such as the Leonard Broom HDR Scholarship or Lowitja Institute scholarships.

If you are interested in studying the MAE program at the National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research, please click here or contact mae.nceph@anu.edu.au to be advised about the application process. Applications will be open from 1 June 2023 to 7 July 2023.