Taking the Next Steps: Informing a RoadMap for Aboriginal health research in South Australia

It is important that health research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is conducted appropriately and is aligned with community research priorities. In 2014, the Next Steps in Aboriginal Health Research (Next Steps) project identified 30 Aboriginal research priorities for South Australia, while the South Australian Aboriginal Health Research Accord (Accord) identified nine principles for doing research the right way. Building on Next Steps and the Accord, the current project, Taking the Next Steps, has two aims, to: (1) assess the capability of the health and medical research sector to respond to Aboriginal-informed research priorities and ways of conducting research; and (2) identify the capacity development needs of the health and medical research sector to respond to Aboriginal-informed research priorities and conduct. This project drew on four sets of data: (a) audit of South Australian Aboriginal Health Research Ethics Committee (AHREC) applications (2014-2021); (b) sector survey; (c) interviews with research ethics committee Chairs in South Australia; and (d) workshops with the South Australian health and medical research sector. Key findings are being used to develop a RoadMap to support researchers to undertake Aboriginal health research well in South Australia. This project contributes to building a health and medical research sector that is more aware of how to conduct research effectively with Aboriginal communities by providing a RoadMap for strengthening the sector’s ability to respond to Aboriginal priorities using Aboriginal principles for conducting research. An aware and capable sector will result in the Aboriginal community experiencing greater benefits from research.