India Shackleford

Research Assistant

India Shackleford

Research Assistant

BSc (Hons)

india.shackleford@thekids.org.au

India is a passionate advocate for women and First Nations people within STEM. She is of Kaurna/Ngarrindjeri descent and studied a Bachelor of Science (Honours) at Flinders University, specialising in forensic and analytical chemistry. India is also a current postgraduate student in the Doctor of Medicine (MD) program.

India has research experience in several areas, including medicinal chemistry, materials science, illicit drugs and microplastics. She has several years of youth mentoring experience and has previously worked in education outreach roles, looking at the connections between Indigenous Knowledges and Westernised science. Her aim is to conduct meaningful research to promote positive health outcomes on a local, national and global scale. As a Research Assistant within Adolescent Health, India endeavours to better understand factors leading to inequity within health outcomes, particularly in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

Published research

Generating evidence to inform responsive and effective actions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescent health and well-being: a mix method protocol for evidence integration 'the Roadmap Project'

Australia does not have a national strategy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescent health and as a result, policy and programming actions are fragmented and may not be responsive to needs. Efforts to date have also rarely engaged Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in co-designing solutions. The Roadmap Project aims to work in partnership with young people to define priority areas of health and well-being need and establish the corresponding developmentally appropriate, evidence-based actions.

Published research Aboriginal Health & Wellbeing Aboriginal Health Indigenous Genomics

August 2024

Education and Qualifications

Doctor of Medicine – Flinders University (Expected completion date 2026)
Bachelor of Science (Honours) – Flinders University (2020)

Awards/Honours

2022 – Science Meets Parliament- First Nations Representative
2021 – The Ken Wanganeen Medal
2021 – Flinders University Medal
2020 – Ferry Scholarship
2019 – Royal Australian Chemical Institute (SA Branch) Prize
2019 – Soroptimist International Southern Districts of Adelaide Prize for High Achieving Women

Adolescent Health and Wellbeing team

The Adolescent Health and Wellbeing team works in partnership with young people to understand their priority needs and the best ways to address these. This includes informing evidence-based policies and co-designing accessible and responsive health services.

The remainder of our 600+ staff are listed on their respective Research Team page.