- More than $550,000 invested in Healthway
Fellowship and Scholarship program to strengthen Aboriginal-led health
promotion research
- Focus on the wellbeing of Aboriginal communities
and young people
- Broome-based researcher leading the charge in
the Fitzroy Valley
The Cook Government has invested $552,000 in three Fellowships and
Scholarships to strengthen health promotion research and improve health
outcomes for Aboriginal communities across WA.
The prestigious Healthway Fellowship and Scholarship program supports
the development of a skilled health promotion research workforce to deliver important
improvements in WA communities.
This year, one Healthway Fellowship and two Healthway Aboriginal
Training Scholarships have been awarded to drive innovation and grow the next
generation of Aboriginal health researchers.
2025 Healthway
Fellowship recipient:
- Dr
Lauren Rice (University of Sydney) - Broome-based researcher awarded $498,000
to co-design
health promotion solutions with Aboriginal communities in the Fitzroy
Valley, building
on her award-winning Bigiswun Kid Project.
2025 Healthway
Aboriginal Research Training Scholarships recipients:
- Ms
Shannon McNeair (Murdoch University) - Awarded $39,000 to work with
Kimberley-based Yawardani Jan-ga
(Horses Helping) program, creating a tool to measure the quality of
relationships and overall wellbeing of Aboriginal children and young people.
- Ms
Sharon Lockyer (Charles Darwin University) - Awarded $15,000 to complete aDiploma of Indigenous Research
online while living in the Pilbara, building skills for future research.
The Healthway Fellowship and Scholarship program will open again in
March 2026.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practitioners and researchers are
strongly encouraged to apply and help shape health promotion solutions for WA
communities. Learn more at: www.healthway.wa.gov.au.
Comments attributed to Preventative Health Minister Sabine Winton:
"Congratulations to the researchers awarded a Healthway Fellowship or
Scholarship for their work to support the health and wellbeing of Western
Australian communities.
"Our government is proud to support initiatives that support healthy
active living - these grants empower local expertise to design health promotion
programs that truly reflect community needs across WA.
"This investment accelerates innovation in prevention and early
intervention to deliver better outcomes for WA's Aboriginal communities."
Comments attributed to
Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson
"This investment is about backing Aboriginal leadership and research,
ensuring the solutions we develop are driven by community priorities.
"Programs like Healthway's Fellowships and Scholarships help build a
strong, culturally informed research workforce that can translate knowledge
into real-world impact across the State.
"The
Cook Government is committed to investing in research that delivers tangible
benefits, supports local expertise and improves lives now and into the future"
