Associate Professor Glenn Pearson

WA Aboriginal Child Health Survey (WAACHS) Data Linkage Study

This study is a partnership between researchers, the Aboriginal community and government to provide evidence for policy and practice addressing high priority health and wellbeing issues for Aboriginal children and families.

Ngulluk Koolunga Ngulluk Koort (Our Children, Our Heart) Program

Brings the Aboriginal community(s) of Perth together with service providers & policy makers to improve outcomes for Aboriginal kids and their families.

The END RHD CRE: Developing an end game for rheumatic heart disease in Australia

Australian Strep A Vaccine Initiative (ASAVI)

The Australian Strep A Vaccine Initiative (ASAVI) is an Australian-led global initiative with the goal of reducing the disease burden caused by Group A Streptococcus (Strep A) infection through effective vaccination.

Honey as a potential topical treatment for skin infections: a literature review

END RHD Demonstration Communities

END RHD

Towards a diagnostic test for rheumatic fever

A data infrastructure for improving Aboriginal life pathways: the influence of health, education, child protection and justice systems over time and across generations

Incarceration represents a source of ongoing socioeconomic and health inequity between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations, limiting life changes and opportunities.

Alert Program®

Pilbara FASD Project

Aboriginal Urban Healthy Skin study

Dornase alfa as an adjunct therapy to treat chronic ear infections

Building Bridges

Many Healthy Lungs

In partnership with Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service and the Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service, we aim to improve Aboriginal lung health by determining for the first time the baseline lung function of Aboriginal Australians.

Trimodal skin health programme for childhood impetigo control in remote Western Australia (SToP): a cluster randomised, stepped-wedge trial

Skin infections affect physical health and, through stigma, social-emotional health. When untreated, they can cause life-threatening conditions. We aimed to assess the effect of a holistic, co-designed, region-wide skin control programme on the prevalence of impetigo.

Cohort profile: The WAACHS Linked Data Study

Despite the volume of accumulating knowledge from prospective Aboriginal cohort studies, longitudinal data describing developmental trajectories in health and well-being is limited.

Multi-methods process evaluation of the SToP (See, Treat, Prevent) trial: a cluster randomised, stepped wedge trial to support healthy skin

Healthy skin is important for maintaining overall physical and cultural health and wellbeing. However, remote-living Australian Aboriginal children contend with disproportionally high rates of Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A) infected impetigo. 

Which reference equation should we use for interpreting spirometry values for First Nations Australians? A cross-sectional study

To evaluate the suitability of the Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI)-2012 other/mixed and GLI-2022 global reference equations for evaluating the respiratory capacity of First Nations Australians. 

The landscape of genomic structural variation in Indigenous Australians

Indigenous Australians harbour rich and unique genomic diversity. However, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestries are historically under-represented in genomics research and almost completely missing from reference datasets. Addressing this representation gap is critical, both to advance our understanding of global human genomic diversity and as a prerequisite for ensuring equitable outcomes in genomic medicine.

“Ngany Kamam, I Speak Truly”: First-Person Accounts of Aboriginal Youth Voices in Mental Health Service Reform

Aboriginal young people are experts in their own experience and are best placed to identify the solutions to their mental health and wellbeing needs. Given that Aboriginal young people experience high rates of mental health concerns and are less likely than non-Indigenous young people to access mental health services, co-design and evaluation of appropriate mental health care is a priority.

“Sometimes Our Mob Don't Really Take It Serious Until It's Serious”: The Experiences of Western Australian Aboriginal Adolescents Living With Type 2 Diabetes, Their Parents, and Their Family Members

In Australia, Aboriginal children experience disproportionate rates of type 2 diabetes (T2D) compared with non-Aboriginal children. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of Aboriginal adolescents with T2D and their family members to better understand the influences of T2D on self-management, with findings used to inform an enhanced service model of care.

Invasive Infections Caused by Lancefield Groups C/G and A Streptococcus, Western Australia, Australia, 2000–2018

Epidemiologic data on invasive group C/G Streptococcus (iGCGS) infections are sparse internationally. Linked population-level hospital, pathology, and death data were used to describe the disease burden in Western Australia, Australia, during 2000-2018 compared with that of invasive group A Streptococcus (GAS, Streptococcus pyogenes) infections.

Assessing The Validity Of A Culturally Modified Drinking Motives Questionnaire For Use In Aboriginal Communities

Alcohol related harms disproportionately affect Aboriginal people in Australia. Motives to drink have been identified as the most proximal factor to alcohol consumption.The aim of this study is to assess the validity of a culturally modified Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised (DMQ-R) (Cooper, 1994) with Aboriginal participants. The study was cross sectional, utilising data collected via face-to-face surveys with a sample of adult Aboriginal participants.

Investigating disparity in access to Australian clinical genetic health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Globally, there is a recognised need that all populations should be able to access the benefits of genomics and precision medicine. However, achieving this remains constrained by a paucity of data that quantifies access to clinical genomics, particularly amongst Indigenous populations.

Building a Nyoongar work practice model for Aboriginal youth mental health: prioritising trust, culture and spirit, and new ways of working

Mainstream youth mental health services struggle to comprehend the connection between colonisation and service provision for Aboriginal young people. This is the consensus agreed by Aboriginal Elders from Perth, Western Australia and young Aboriginal leaders within their communities.

Improving primary prevention of acute rheumatic fever in Australia: consensus primary care priorities identified through an eDelphi process

To establish the priorities of primary care providers to improve assessment and treatment of skin sores and sore throats among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at risk of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD).

The Development and Implementation of a Culturally Safe Survey for Measuring Knowledge, Attitudes and Values around FASD and Alcohol Use During Pregnancy in a Remote Australian Aboriginal Community Setting

Prevalence and predictors of vitamin D deficiency in a nationally representative sample of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults

Vitamin D deficiency (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration <50 nmol/l) is recognised as a public health problem globally. The present study details the prevalence and predictors of vitamin D deficiency in a nationally representative sample of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults aged >/=18 years.

Searching for a technology-driven acute rheumatic fever test: the START study protocol

The absence of a diagnostic test for acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is a major impediment in managing this serious childhood condition. ARF is an autoimmune condition triggered by infection with group A Streptococcus.

Co-Designing Health Service Evaluation Tools That Foreground First Nation Worldviews for Better Mental Health and Wellbeing Outcomes

It is critical that health service evaluation frameworks include Aboriginal people and their cultural worldviews from design to implementation. During a large participatory action research study, Elders, service leaders and Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal researchers co-designed evaluation tools to test the efficacy of a previously co-designed engagement framework. Through a series of co-design workshops, tools were built using innovative collaborative processes that foregrounded Aboriginal worldviews.

Increasing incidence of invasive group A streptococcal disease in Western Australia, particularly among Indigenous people

The incidence of invasive GAS disease in WA increased between 2000 and 2018, particularly among Indigenous Australians. Mandatory notification of invasive GAS disease would therefore be appropriate. The social determinants of differences in incidence should be addressed, and other relevant host, pathogen, and health system factors investigated.

Our journey, our story: a study protocol for the evaluation of a co-design framework to improve services for Aboriginal youth mental health and well-being

Mainstream Australian mental health services are failing Aboriginal young people. Despite investing resources, improvements in well-being have not materialised. Culturally and age appropriate ways of working are needed to improve service access and responsiveness. This Aboriginal-led study brings Aboriginal Elders, young people and youth mental health service staff together to build relationships to co-design service models and evaluation tools.

Are outcomes for childhood leukaemia in Australia influenced by geographical remoteness and Indigenous race?

Presenting features, biology and outcome for childhood leukaemia are known to vary by ethnic origin, geographic location and socioeconomic group. This study aimed to compare presentation patterns, follow-up and clinical outcomes in Indigenous and non-Indigenous children with acute leukaemia in Australia, and to assess the impact of remoteness and area-based socioeconomic disadvantage on outcome.

Prevalence and predictors of vitamin D deficiency in a nationally representative sample of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults

Vitamin D deficiency (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration <50 nmol/l) is recognised as a public health problem globally. The present study details the prevalence and predictors of vitamin D deficiency in a nationally representative sample (n 3250) of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults aged ≥18 years. We used data from the 2012-2013 Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (AATSIHS). Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem MS.

Eighth annual conference of in VIVO planetary health: From challenges to opportunities

Here, we present the abstracts and proceedings of our 8th annual conference, held in Detroit, Michigan in May 2019, themed "From Challenges, to Opportunities"

Delivering Elder- and Community-Led Aboriginal Early Childhood Development Research: Lessons from the Ngulluk Koolunga Ngulluk Koort Project

We describe the application of a participatory action research methodology that is grounded in Aboriginal worldviews

Overcoming the challenges of caring for a child with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder: a Pilbara community perspective

The caregivers in this study have gained valuable knowledge and wisdom through caring for a child with FASD

Epidemiology of gastrostomy insertion for children and adolescents with intellectual disability

Gastrostomy is increasingly used in multiple neurological conditions associated with intellectual disability, with no apparent accessibility barriers

Hospital use in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal patients with chronic disease

Aboriginal people use health services in a different manner when compared to non-Aboriginal people

The rationale for action to end new cases of rheumatic heart disease in Australia

The choice of RHD is telling: the disease is a marker of inequality, a novel lens for considering health systems and a feasible target for disease control.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and child sexual abuse in institutional settings

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse commissioned The Kids Research Institute Australia to collaborate on a report

Improving access to primary care for Aboriginal babies in Western Australia: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

A population-based, stepped wedge, cluster randomized controlled trial of an enhanced model of early infant primary care

Translating aboriginal genomics — four letters closing the gap

Establishing a genomic reference for Australian Aboriginal populations

Environmental health challenges in remote Aboriginal Australian communities: clean air, clean water and safe housing

A considerable health disparity exists between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians, including a higher incidence and severity of cardiovascular and...

Reduced forced vital capacity in Aboriginal Australians: Biology or missing evidence?

This editorial article addresses chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung function testing in Aboriginal Australians.

Early Vocabulary Development of Australian Indigenous Children: Identifying Strengths

The current study sought to increase our understanding of the factors involved in the early vocabulary development of Australian Indigenous children.

Evidence for the use of an algorithm in resolving inconsistent and missing Indigenous status in administrative data collections

We found that algorithms reduced the amount of missing data and improved within‑individual consistency.

Genetic Research and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians

Human genetic research promises to deliver a range of health benefits to the population. Here we consider how the different levels of Indigenous research...

Adjusting for under-identification of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander births in time series produced from birth records

Statistical time series derived from administrative data sets form key indicators in measuring progress.

Awareness and impact of the ‘Bubblewrap’ advertising campaign among Aboriginal smokers in Western Australia

Antismoking mass media campaigns have been shown to reduce smoking prevalence in the mainstream community.