Kurongkurl Katitjin

20/10/2026

Kurongkurl Katitjin Research was proud to be at the WA ACCHS Social and Emotional Wellbeing Conference, hosted by the Aboriginal Health Council of WA, under the theme “Culture Heals: Connecting People, Strengthening Communities”.

Rachael from Maawit Maladjiny, Dr Seraina Agramunt and Toni hosted the ECU stand. They shared our research, including Maawit Maladjiny and Seraina’s Body Image and Social Media Study, and made connections with health professionals from services across WA.

🔹 Maawit Maladjiny
Maawit means child or baby, and Maladjiny is growth: the growth of the child. Maawit Maladjiny walks alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families across Perth, following babies over their first 12 months. Families can join from more than six months pregnant, or with a baby under four weeks old.
Have a yarn with Rachael: 0485 554 707 | [email protected]
Approved by WAAHEC_1223, WA Department of Health HREC RGS0000005435 and ECU HREC ECU_2022-03762-MCAULLAY.

🔹 Body Image and Social Media Study
Led by Dr Seraina Agramunt, this study works with Aboriginal young people to co-develop culturally sensitive health promotion messages and resources around body image and disordered eating. Aboriginal young people aged 13 to 25 who use social media at least once a week are invited to a relaxed, face to face yarn of around 60 minutes, with a $50 gift card for their time and travel.

Expressions of interest: 0489 146 929 | [email protected]
This study has been approved by the Western Australian Aboriginal Health Ethics Committee (HREC 1485) and the Edith Cowan University Research Ethics Committee (2026-07623). This research was funded by a Healthway Exploratory Research Grant ( -202509-88648).

20/10/2026

📅Last chance to register📅

UDRH SW and Kurongkurl Katitjin are proud to present two exciting events delivered by Professor Janet Smylie from the University of Toronto, Canada.

Professor Janet Smylie is a respected international leader in Indigenous health. One of Canada’s first Métis physicians, her 30-year career has focused on addressing inequities in the health of Indigenous peoples in Canada by bridging gaps between health knowledge and practice.

Health professionals, Aboriginal health workers, early career researchers, ECU staff, students and anyone interested in Aboriginal health and research are encouraged to attend.

Aboriginal Health + Research Masterclass and Workshop: Striving for Excellence in Indigenous Health Sciences Research
📅 Thursday, 22 October 2026
⏰ 2:00pm–5:00pm
📍 ECU South West Campus, Building 6
In this workshop Professor Smylie will share key strategies and examples of how she has tried to balance the pursuit of scholarly excellence with fulfilling sacred community responsibilities in her research career. This will include reflections on her journey to understand and apply Métis-Cree worldviews, protocols, and practices to research. Participants will be asked to share reflections and experiences on their own journeys to advance Indigenist research methodologies and practices as Indigenous and allied scholars.

Indigenous Cultural Safety for Health Care Providers: Novel Tools for Training and Patient-Oriented Outcome Assessment
📅 Friday, 23 October 2026
⏰ 9:30am–3:00pm
📍 ECU South West Campus, Building 6
In this interactive workshop Professor Smylie will share and discuss findings from her research on developing and evaluating tools to enhance the Indigenous Cultural Safety training for health care providers. Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions, try out some of the tools, and share their reflections on the relevance of these tools for their contexts.

🎟️ Tickets are free, but spaces are limited.

Find out more and register: https://lnkd.in/gdAyrJTq

https://www.udrhsw.ecu.edu.au/events/aboriginal-health-research/

UDRH SW and Kurongkurl Katitjin are proud to present two exciting events delivered by Professor Janet Smylie from the University of Toronto, Canada. Professor Janet Smylie is a respected international leader in Indigenous health. One of Canada’s first Métis physicians, her 30-year career has focu...

20/10/2026

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Maawit Maladjiny stand at the Children and Parent Centre Swan Baby Expo in Koongamia. Around 50 families came to say hello, and the colouring-in and stickers were a big hit with the little ones.

Pictured: Rachael, Callan and Patricia from the Maawit Maladjiny team.

Maawit Maladjiny is a project through Kurongkurl Katitjin Research, walking alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families across Perth.

Families can join from more than six months pregnant, or with a baby under four weeks old. Have a yarn with Rachael on 0485 554 707 or [email protected].

Approved by WAAHEC_1223, WA Department of Health HREC RGS0000005435 and ECU HREC ECU_2022-03762-MCAULLAY.

19/10/2026

Deadly couple of days in Naarm 🖤💛❤️

Professor Dan McAullay and Associate Professor Natalie Strobel were at the OCHRe Convocation 2026 last week, representing Kurongkurl Katitjin alongside First Nations health researchers from right across the country.

OCHRe (Our Collaborations in Health Research) brings our mob together to grow the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research leaders. This year’s theme was Empowering Voices, Deadly Futures, and you could feel it in every yarn around the tables.

Proud to have our people in the room, keeping Noongar knowledge and Western Australian voices in the national conversation.

09/10/2026

📢 Calling Aboriginal young people aged 13 to 25

Do you use social media at least once a week? Researchers at Edith Cowan University would love to have a yarn with you.

Your voice can shape better support for Aboriginal young people and communities around body image and eating concerns.

✅ A relaxed, face to face yarn of around 60 minutes ✅ At a time that suits you, by appointment ✅ $50 gift card for your time and travel

To register your interest, call 0489 146 929, email [email protected], or register online: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=PTLLm6N_50Wjb22c_bzCcmJsYFN8z6NPrGqTLgXbbt1UMldMSlBVTjFJMTdaVEVGRzNZOU9VTFROSS4u

Please share this post so it reaches young people who may want to take part. 💛

If anything in this post brings something up for you, support is available. Anyone in Australia concerned about eating disorders or body image issues can call the Butterfly Foundation on 1800 33 4673. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who want to yarn with someone about how they are feeling can call 13YARN on 13 92 76, any time of day or night, to talk with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander crisis supporter.

This study has been approved by the Western Australian Aboriginal Health Ethics Committee (HREC 1485) and the Edith Cowan University Research Ethics Committee (2026-07623). This research was funded by a Healthway Exploratory Research Grant ( -202509-88648).

07/10/2026

Don't they look moorditj?! ✨

Our Director, Tracey Taraia, and Dr Libby Jackson-Barrett, Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning), are dressed up and heading to the official opening of ECU City tonight.

This one means a lot to us. ECU City is now home to Kurongkurl Katitjin, and tonight it's officially unveiled to the community. We're proud to be part of the celebration and to see Aboriginal knowledges, culture and learning at the heart of the new campus.

Who's unveiling the plaque? What cocktails are on rotation? We have no idea, we didn't make the cut, but we'll be getting the full debrief from our two VIPs tomorrow. 🍸

Have a moorditj night, you two!

07/10/2026

ECU City opened officially this week, and Kurongkurl Katitjin is in the heart of the city now.
So here is a look back at how we got here. Mount Lawley is where a lot of us found our feet. Where people who were the first in their family walked in nervous and walked out with a degree. Where Elders sat with students who were about to give up, and they did not give up.
All of that came with us. Same mob, same work, easier to get to.

Come and see the new place. And if Mount Lawley was part of your story, tell us about it in the comments.

02/10/2026

Once part of our mob, always part of our mob ⭐

ECU alumnus Rueben Mongoo was part of the Student Success team at Kurongkurl Katitjin, and he made a real difference to our students and to everyone who worked with him. We miss having him around, and we couldn't be prouder to see what he's doing now.

This October Rueben is in the cast of JACKY by Declan Furber Gillick, a co-production from Black Swan State Theatre Company and Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company.

Jacky is a smart, enterprising young Aboriginal man who balances office internships, cultural performances and gig work to make his way in the city. When his little brother Keith turns up out of the blue, everything he's kept separate starts to come apart.

It's sharp and funny, and it doesn't hold back. The play looks at identity, ambition and family in Australia today, and what it costs to get by.

Rueben (Yamatji, Noongar) is on stage with Ian 'Moopa' Wilkes, Amy Mathews and Steve Turner. It's directed by Maitland Schnaars and Kate Champion.

Let's fill those seats and cheer him on. Deadly work, Rueben 👏🏾

📅 23 October – 8 November
📍 Subiaco Arts Centre
🎟️ Tickets: https://www.artsculturetrust.wa.gov.au/venues/subiaco-arts-centre/whats-on/jacky/

Contains adult themes, coarse language and sexual content. Check the full warnings before booking.

📷 René Vaile Photography

29/09/2026

The early years matter. In the first months of life a baby's brain grows faster than at any other time, and strong, loving relationships lay foundations for learning and wellbeing that last a lifetime. Maawit Maladjiny is about supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to grow, learn and arrive at school strong and ready to
thrive, building on the strengths already in our families and community.