Carol Michie
Co-Head of Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing
carol.michie@thekids.org.au
+61 8 6319 1780
Carol Michie is an East Arrernte woman from Alice Springs who has lived in Perth for the past 30 years. She has many contacts and connections with the local Noongar community as well as many connections throughout the communities of WA and Australia. Carol has over 25 years’ experience of working within child education and child development services and is passionate about being part of playing a positive role in enhancing the opportunities of our Aboriginal families to provide a culturally supportive environment in which to raise confident, resilient children who feel they have something to offer.
Carol am passionate about our people and communities having a voice to participate in working together with the wider community to bring about change to improve the health and wellbeing of our Aboriginal children for a better future.
Her goal is to help build and guide a better understanding of the importance of developing cultural awareness to provide better health outcomes that sustain respectful relationships between health research, the health profession and the Aboriginal community.
Carol is thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to work under the guidance of her Elders who are co-researchers on the Ngulluk Koolunga Ngulluk Koort (Our Children, Our Heart) Project. She is enjoying being able to help facilitate bringing together her Aboriginal world and the research world to sit at the same table to share a common goal of moving forward to help her future generation.
Projects
Moorditj Marp (Strong Skin) Evaluation and development of culturally relevant healthy skin storybooks
Co-designed and in collaboration with community members, the impacts of this project will directly benefit families by building awareness, empowering decision-making, and improving confidence around the recognition and management of skin conditions for Aboriginal children.
Ngulluk Moort, Ngulluk Boodja, Ngulluk Wirin (Our Family, Our Country, Our Spirit) Out-of-Home Care Study
We are working with the leadership and staff at foster care agencies and community members to provide information about cultural connection, and cultural activity and resources for Aboriginal children living in non-Aboriginal care arrangements.
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.
Bush Tucker and Vitamin D
Published research
Skin health of Aboriginal children living in urban communities
Skin concerns are frequent among urban-living Aboriginal children, yet specialist dermatology consultations are limited with studies highlighting the need for improved cultural security. Through newly established paediatric dermatology clinics at two urban Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs), we aimed to describe clinic and patient data, including disease frequencies and associations, to inform dermatology service provision and advocacy.
Ngulluk Moort, Ngulluk Boodja, Ngulluk Wirin (our family, our country, our spirit): An Aboriginal Participatory Action Research study protocol
We are working with the leadership and staff at foster care agencies and community members to provide information about cultural connection, and cultural activity and resources for Aboriginal children living in non-Aboriginal care arrangements.
Describing skin health and disease in urban-living Aboriginal children: co-design, development and feasibility testing of the Koolungar Moorditj Healthy Skin pilot project
Indigenous children in colonised nations experience high rates of health disparities linked to historical trauma resulting from displacement and dispossession, as well as ongoing systemic racism. Skin infections and their complications are one such health inequity, with the highest global burden described in remote-living Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (hereafter respectfully referred to as Aboriginal) children. Yet despite increasing urbanisation, little is known about the skin infection burden for urban-living Aboriginal children.
First Nations populations' perceptions, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and myths about prevention and bereavement in stillbirth: a mixed methods systematic review protocol
The objective of this review is to investigate First Nations populations' perceptions, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and myths about stillbirth.
Health Outcomes of Children Living in Out-of-Home Care in Metropolitan Western Australia: A Sequential Mixed-Methods Study—A Protocol Paper
The research protocol described aims to examine and establish the health outcomes of children and young people living in Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) in Perth, Western Australia from the perspective of the care recipients and service providers. A Study Advisory Panel will be established comprised of Aboriginal Elders (because of the over-representation of Aboriginal children in OOHC), health professionals and other relevant stakeholders to help co-design all phases of the study.
Raising strong, solid Koolunga: Values and beliefs about early child development among Perth's Aboriginal community
We detail the unique findings from an Aboriginal early child development research project with a specific focus on the Nyoongar/Aboriginal community of Perth
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