JCU > Research Portfolio > Dr Michelle Redman-MacLaren

About

Michelle is a public health researcher known for her ability to facilitate action-oriented research in a culturally respectful way for positive health outcomes. She achieves this by facilitating participatory, decolonising public health research with Pacific Islander and Indigenous Australian peoples that is sensitive to culture, spirituality and gender. Michelle has worked in the Pacific (Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea) and in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities for over 20 years.

Michelle has taught community development, social policy and research subjects, and facilitated public health research with universities in Australia, PNG and Solomon Islands for over 10 years. Michelle previously worked as a social worker/community development worker in hospital and community health settings, facilitating community development, health promotion, health worker training, and national and international NGO management (including support of refugees).

During her NHMRC-funded PhD research, Michelle explored the implications of male circumcision practices with women in PNG, including women's risk of HIV transmission.

For more information about the Solomon Islands research, please visit: Atoifi Research Home Page

For more information about the LEAP project, see: NHMRC LEAP Study

For more information about the WOMB project, see: NHMRC WOMB Study

On Twitter Michelle shares about the Pacific, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, action research, sexual and reproductive health and poetry/arts-based research, see: @shelmaclaren

Interests

Research

Participatory action research
Decolonising research
Research capacity strengthening
Pacific peoples health
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health
Social and cultural determinants of health

Experience

2008 to present - Senior/Research Officer, James Cook University (Cairns)
2006 to 2009 - Casual Lecturer/Tutor, James Cook University (Cairns)

Research Disciplines

Socio-Economic Objectives

Honours

Awards

2016 - Dean’s List for Excellence, Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine) 2016.
2016 - Distinguished Friend of Pacific Adventist University, Papua New Guinea.
2013 - PhD Category Award winner (awarded $2,500). ‘So you think you can research?’ North Queensland Festival of Life Sciences

Fellowships

2019 - Fellow of ALARA (Action Learning Action Research Association)
2018 - Fellow, The Cairns Institute

Memberships

2017 - Health Systems Global
2017 - Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
2016 - Australian Association for the Advancement of Pacific Studies
2010 - International Association for Community Development
2009 - Reconciliation Queensland Inc
2006 - Action Learning & Research Association, Australia and New Zealand
2004 - Australian Association of Social Workers
2012 to 2016 - Australasian Society for HIV Medicine
2012 to 2015 - Tropical Research Network
2009 to 2015 - Public Health Association Australia

Other

2017 - Adjunct Academic, Centre for Indigenous Health Equity Research, CQUniversity Australia
2012 to 2015 - Doctor of Philosophy: Implications of male circumcision for women in Papua New Guinea, including for HIV prevention. College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University
2002 to 2007 - Master of Social Work (Community Development and Human Service Management), University of Queensland
1990 to 1993 - Bachelor of Social Work (Major: Community Work), University of Queensland

Publications

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

Asugeni R, Redman-MacLaren M, Asugeni J, Esau T, Timothy F, Massey P and MacLaren D (in press) A community builds a ‘bridge’: an example of community-led adaptation to sea-level rise in East Kwaio, Solomon Islands. Climate and Development Journal,
Campbell S, McCalman J, Redman-MacLaren M, Canuto K, Vine K, Sewter J and McDonald M (2018) Implementing the Baby One Program: a qualitative evaluation of family-centred child health promotion in remote Australian Aboriginal communities. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 18 (73).
Heyeres M, McCalman J, Langham E, Bainbridge R, Redman-Maclaren M, Britton A, Rutherford K and Tsey K (in press) Strengthening the capacity of education staff to support the wellbeing of Indigenous students in boarding schools: a participatory action research study. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education,
Marks M, Esau T, Asugeni R, Harrington R, Diau J, Toloka H, Asugeni J, Ansbro E, Solomon A, MacLaren D, Redman-MacLaren M and Mabey D (2018) Point-of-care tests for syphilis and yaws in a low-income setting: a qualitative study of healthcare worker and patient experiences. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 12 (4).
Marks M, Toloka H, Baker C, Kositz C, Asugeni J, Puiahi E, Asugeni R, Azzopardi K, Diau J, Kaldor J, Romani L, Redman-MacLaren M, MacLaren D, Solomon A, Mabey D and Steer A (in press) Randomised trial of community treatment with azithromycin and ivermectin mass drug administration for control of scabies and impetigo. Clinical Infectious Diseases,
McPhail-Bell K, Matthews V, Bainbridge R, Redman-MacLaren M, Askew D, Ramanathan S, Bailie J and Bailie R (2018) An ‘all teach, all learn’ approach to research capacity strengthening in Indigenous primary health care continuous quality improvement. Frontiers in Public Health, 6.
Redman-MacLaren M, Barrington D, Harrington H, Cram D, Selep J and MacLaren D (2018) Water, sanitation and hygiene systems in Pacific Island schools to promote the health and education of girls and children with disability: a systematic scoping review. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 8 (3). pp. 386-401
Heyeres M, McCalman J, Bainbridge R and Redman-Maclaren M (2017) Staff capacity development initiatives that support the well-being of Indigenous children in their transitions to boarding schools: a systematic scoping review. Frontiers in Education, 2. pp. 1-10
McCalman J, Bainbridge R, Redman-Maclaren M, Russo S, Rutherford K, Tsey K, Ungar M, Wenitong M and Hunter E (2017) The development of a survey instrument to assess Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ resilience and risk. Frontiers in Education, pp. 1-13
Redman-MacLaren M, Mills J, Tommbe R, MacLaren D, Speare R and McBride W (2017) Implications of male circumcision for women in Papua New Guinea: a transformational grounded theory study. BMC Women's Health, 17.

Book Chapters

Lynn R and Redman-MacLaren M (2017) Knowledge development and translation through action learning and action research: a 'learning conference' experience. In: Conferences as Sites of Learning and Development. Taylor and Francis, Abingdon, UK, pp. 86-98
O'Dwyer S, McDonough S, Jefferson R, Goff J and Redman-Maclaren M (2017) Writing groups in the digital age: a case study analysis of Shut Up & Write Tuesdays. In: Research 2.0 and the Impact of Digital Technologies on Scholarly Inquiry. Advances in Knowledge Acquisition, Transfer, and Management (AKATM). IGI Global, Hershey, PA, USA, pp. 249-269

Current Funding

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Massey University - contract research - Contract Research

Review of Tokelau's Clinical Health Services and Patient Referrals Sceme

Indicative Funding: $6,903 (administered by Massey University)
Summary: The Tokelau Government has asked for an independent review of the Tokelau Patient Referrals Scheme (TPRS) and clinical health services. In partnership with the Tokelau Government, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) has engaged a Massey University-led team to do the review. Our proposal is distinguished by three features in particular: the team is Pacific-led, the review design is bottom up, participatory and solutions-focussed, and our approach is grounded in a Tokelauan world view of health and wellbeing. This approach will allow for the co-creation of knowledge, will ensure that the review is inclusive of a diversity of views, including marginalised groups, and will enable us to undertake an in-depth review which reflects the social, economic, cultural and spiritual context. Methodological innovations such as use of the Systems Assessment Tool and particpatory co-design workshops will enable us to generate robust findings combining quantitative and qualitative data.
Investigators: Tracie Mafileo, Sunia Foliaki, Tanya Koro, Helen Leslie, Michelle Redman-MacLaren and Caryn West (Massey University, Pasifika Health Service, Central Public Health Organisation, College of Medicine & Dentistry and College of Healthcare Sciences)
Keywords: Health services, Pacific people's health

Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund - Grant

Documenting Indigenous Plant Knowledge to Strengthen Conservation Management in Kwaio, Solomon Islands

Indicative Funding: $26,184
Summary: The project is designed to deliver ongoing capacity-strengthening activities and training in project management, organizational governance and financial management to enhance local conservation efforts in the central mountains of the island of Malaita, Solomon Islands. Our larger goals include setting up a Kwaio CSO to manage conservation activities in the area (see ?Project Objectives? below), protect and conserve priority species on Malaita, and in the longer-term, work toward creating Protected Areas to protect globally threatened species. We also hope the project will serve as a conservation model for other Malaitan and Solomon Islands communities. The project is taking place with people of the Kwaio language group. The mountain Kwaio people are the largest Solomon Islands group still practicing their indigenous ancestral religion. The biodiversity conservation project is documenting the deep local knowledge of medicinal plants and bush foods found in the rainforest of Malaita, and building capacity to undertake similar projects in the future.
Investigators: David MacLaren, Esau Kekeubata, John Laete?esafi, Jackson Waneagea, David Akin, Humpress Harrington, James Asugeni, Tommy Esau, Peter Massey, Michelle Redman-MacLaren, Ben Speare, Darren Crayn and Frank Zich (College of Medicine & Dentistry, Kwainaa Cultural Centre, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Pacific Adventist University (Atoifi Campus), Atoifi Adventist Hospital, New South Wales Health, Tropical Health Solutions Pty Ltd, College of Science & Engineering and Division of Tropical Environments & Societies)
Keywords: Kwaio; Traditional Medicine; Solomon Islands; Medicinal Plants; Traditional Knowledge; Biodiversity Conservation

Supervision

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

Transition from Girlhood to Womanhood: Experiences of Adolescent Females in Papua New Guinea. (PhD , Primary Advisor)
How can Cultural Resilience Enhance Support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Experiencing Grief and Loss during Chronic Illness? (Masters , Primary Advisor)
Barriers and Enablers to using Contraceptives for Family Planning at Atoifi Hospital, East Kwaio, Malaita Province (Masters , Primary Advisor)

Collaboration

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.