Tamara Mackean
Biographic Data
| ID | 180190 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Tamara Mackean |
| GIVEN NAMES | Tamara |
| FAMILY NAME | Mackean |
| SIGNATURE | MACKEAN T |
| AFFILIATIONS | Flinders University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7315-5095 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 27 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 67 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 27 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Continuing the conversation about strengths-based approaches and deficit discourses in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nutrition research; response to Brimblecombe et al., 2023
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ meanings of home: A systematic scoping review
Meanings of home differ across cultures, ontologies, and geographies. Housing literature predominantly applies a Western worldview to home, with home meaning a dwelling and a site of belonging, economic value and social reproduction. First Peoples’ meanings of home are largely rendered invisible and undervalued within this discourse. A systematic scoping review explored meanings of home from the perspective of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islande…
Next Steps in Decolonising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care Policy in Australia: An Analysis of Key Stakeholder Views
Following a failed 2023 referendum on constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Australian governments must work with Indigenous leaders to chart a new way forward in policy to support Indigenous health and wellbeing. Here we report on key stakeholder views on what is required to decolonise Indigenous primary health care (PHC) policy. This article reports on qualitative research conducting yarns with 20 senior st…
Analysing the inconsistent recognition of Indigenous rights in early childhood policy documents from the Australian Government's "Closing the Gap" strategy between 2008-2018
We analysed Australian government strategic policy documents related to the "Closing the Gap" (CTG) strategy in early childhood circa 2008-2018 to explore the extent to which Indigenous rights are named and recognised in written policy. Our analysis of the policies was informed by Bacchi's What's the Problem approach and showed inconsistency in the recognition of Indigenous rights. These rights are sometimes undermined and ignored, sometimes impl…
Challenging deficit discourse in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nutrition and dietetics research: A critical discourse analysis
Prior to colonisation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples used detailed knowledges on food and nutrition to develop sustainable practices which supported strong and healthy ways of life. Despite this, there is often a focus in the nutrition and dietetics literature on the deficits relating to food and nutrition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, rather than the strengths. This study used a critical discourse analysis to…
Advancing Indigenous self-determination and health equity: Lessons from a failed Australian public policy
The 2007 Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER) targeted Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory in Australia. The NTER imposed draconian measures unfavourable to health, contributing to health inequities. There is little research investigating why the NTER was framed so negatively, and how this framing passed into legislation so unassailably. We used institutional theory to understand what factors contributed to the NTER agenda fr…
Integrating Trauma and Violence Informed Care in Primary Health Care Settings for First Nations Women Experiencing Violence: A Systematic Review
It is imperative that access to primary health care services is equitable as health care practitioners are often the first responders to women who experience violence. This is of particular importance for First Nations women who disproportionately experience interpersonal and structural violence when compared to non-First Nations women, as well as the ongoing impact of colonization, racism, and intergenerational trauma. To understand how primary …
Community Engagement and Psychometric Methods in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Patient-Reported Outcome Measures and Surveys—A Scoping Review and Critical Analysis
(1) Background: In healthcare settings, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and surveys are accepted, patient-centered measures that provide qualitative information on dimensions of health and wellbeing. The level of psychometric assessment and engagement with end users for their design can vary significantly. This scoping review describes the psychometric and community engagement processes for PROMs and surveys developed for Aboriginal and…
Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Theories of Wellbeing and Their Suitability for Wellbeing Policy
A growing interest among governments in policies to promote wellbeing has the potential to revive a social view of health promotion. However, success may depend on the way governments define wellbeing and conceptualize ways to promote it. We analyze theories of wellbeing to discern twelve types of wellbeing theory and assess the suitability of each type of theory as a basis for effective wellbeing policies. We used Durie's methodology of working …
Promoting action on structural drivers of health inequity: Principles for policy evaluation
Background: Insufficient progress has been made towards reducing health inequities, due in part to a lack of action on the root causes of health inequities. At present, there is a limited evidence base to guide policy decision making in this space. Key points for discussion: This paper proposes new principles for researchers to conduct health equity policy evaluation. Four key principles are presented: (1) where to evaluate – shifting from famili…
Why are Indigenous Affairs Policies Framed in ways that Undermine Indigenous Health and Equity: Examining Australia’s Northern Territory Emergency Response
The 2007 Australian Northern Territory Emergency Response policy was harmful to the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We thematically analysed 72 speech acts and reports from the three prominent perspectives: a Northern Territory government inquiry report, the Federal government, and an Aboriginal civil society coalition to examine how framings during the policy agenda setting phase constrained or supported scope for equitab…
Challenges facing primary health care in federated government systems: Implementation of Primary Health Networks in Australian states and territories
They Are Worth Their Weight in Gold”: Families and Clinicians’ Perspectives on the Role of First Nations Health Workers in Paediatric Burn Care in Australia
Burns affect Australia's First Nations children more than other Australian children, they also experience longer lengths of stay in tertiary burns units and face barriers in accessing burn aftercare treatment. Data sets from two studies were combined whereby 19 families, 11 First Nations Health Worker (FNHW) and 56 multidisciplinary burn team members from across Australia described the actual or perceived role of FNHW in multidisciplinary burn ca…
Stakeholder perceptions of policy implementation for Indigenous health and cultural safety: A study of Australia's ‘Closing the Gap’ policies
Indigenous peoples in Australia and similar colonised countries are subject to racism and systemic socioeconomic disadvantages, resulting in worse health outcomes compared to non‐Indigenous counterparts. Such inequities persist despite governments’ attempts to reduce them. Since 2008, Australian governments have committed to a national ‘Closing the Gap’ (CTG) to reduce inequities in health, education, and employment outcomes between Aboriginal an…
Trauma and Violence Informed Care Through Decolonising Interagency Partnerships: A Complexity Case Study of Waminda’s Model of Systemic Decolonisation
Through the lens of complexity, we present a nested case study describing a decolonisation approach developed and implemented by Waminda South Coast Women's Health and Welfare Aboriginal Corporation. Using Indigenous research methods, this case study has unfolded across three phases: (1) Yarning interviews with the workforce from four partner health services ( n = 24); (2) Yarning circle bringing together key informants from yarning interviews to…
Evaluation of the Ecohis and the Caries-QC among an Australian “Aboriginal” population
A glossary of theories for understanding power and policy for health equity
Progressing public policies that improve health equity requires understanding and addressing the creation, use and distribution of power. This glossary provides an overview of some of the most relevant conceptualisations of the dynamics of power in policy with implications for health equity. The aim is to provide an accessible overview of the different theories and perspectives behind power for public health focused policy researchers and advocat…
Strife of Interests: Constraints on integrated and co-ordinated comprehensive PHC in Australia
Social Determinants of Indigenous Health and Indigenous Rights in Policy: A Scoping Review and Analysis of Problem Representation
Despite evidence showing the importance of social determinants of Indigenous health and Indigenous rights for health and equity, they are not always recognised within policy. This scoping review identified research on public policy and Indigenous health through a systematic search. Key themes identified included the impact of ongoing colonisation; the central role of government in realising rights; and the difficulties associated with the provisi…
Indigenous research methodology – weaving a research interface
Indigenous research Knowledges and methodologies have existed over millennia, however it is only recently that Indigenous scholars have been able to challenge institutional Western hegemony to reclaim sovereignty in the research space. Despite the high volume of quantitative research describing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, there has been limited evaluation of the value added through incorporation of Indigenous Knowledges and meth…
Development and Validation of a Questionnaire to Measure Attitude change in Health Professionals after Completion of an Aboriginal Health and Cultural Safety Training Programme
Socially accountable health curricula, designed to decrease Aboriginal health inequities through the transformation of health professional students into culturally safe practitioners, has become a focal point for health professional programmes. Despite this inclusion in health curricula there remains the question of how to best assess students in this area in relation to the concept, of cultural safety and transformative unlearning, to facilitate…
How institutional forces, ideas and actors shaped population health planning in Australian regional primary health care organisations
There are numerous institutional, normative and cultural factors influencing population health planning. The experience of Australian Medicare Locals highlights the difficulties of planning in such a way that the impact of the social determinants on health and health equity are taken into account. The policy environment favours a focus on clinical services to the detriment of health promotion informed by a social determinants focus
Commissioning and equity in primary care in Australia: Views from Primary Health Networks
This paper reports findings from 55 stakeholder interviews undertaken in six Primary Health Networks (PHNs) in Australia as part of a study of the impact of population health planning in regional primary health organisations on service access and equity. Primary healthcare planning is currently undertaken by PHNs which were established in 2015 as commissioning organisations. This was a departure from the role of Medicare Locals, the previous regi…
Working at the interface in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health: Focussing on the individual health professional and their organisation as a means to address health equity
A health professional's practice at the interface cannot be considered in isolation from individual and organisational contexts. It is critical to consider how the organisational and individual factors identified in this research will be addressed in health professional training and practice, in order to maximise the ability of health professionals to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and therefore contribute to addressing he…
Yarning up with Koori kids’ – hearing the voices of Australian urban Indigenous children about their health and well-being
The overwhelming conclusion to be drawn from this research is that Indigenous children in urban areas need ongoing recognition of both their agency and resilience in the face of adversity, within a wider context of historical and contemporary racialisation and racism
Indigenous research methodology – weaving a research interface
Indigenous research Knowledges and methodologies have existed over millennia, however it is only recently that Indigenous scholars have been able to challenge institutional Western hegemony to reclaim sovereignty in the research space. Despite the high volume of quantitative research describing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, there has been limited evaluation of the value added through incorporation of Indigenous Knowledges and meth…
Aboriginal perspectives of child health and wellbeing in an urban setting: Developing a conceptual framework
A glossary of theories for understanding power and policy for health equity
Progressing public policies that improve health equity requires understanding and addressing the creation, use and distribution of power. This glossary provides an overview of some of the most relevant conceptualisations of the dynamics of power in policy with implications for health equity. The aim is to provide an accessible overview of the different theories and perspectives behind power for public health focused policy researchers and advocat…
Yarning up with Koori kids’ – hearing the voices of Australian urban Indigenous children about their health and well-being
The overwhelming conclusion to be drawn from this research is that Indigenous children in urban areas need ongoing recognition of both their agency and resilience in the face of adversity, within a wider context of historical and contemporary racialisation and racism
Stakeholder perceptions of policy implementation for Indigenous health and cultural safety: A study of Australia's ‘Closing the Gap’ policies
Indigenous peoples in Australia and similar colonised countries are subject to racism and systemic socioeconomic disadvantages, resulting in worse health outcomes compared to non‐Indigenous counterparts. Such inequities persist despite governments’ attempts to reduce them. Since 2008, Australian governments have committed to a national ‘Closing the Gap’ (CTG) to reduce inequities in health, education, and employment outcomes between Aboriginal an…
Development and Validation of a Questionnaire to Measure Attitude change in Health Professionals after Completion of an Aboriginal Health and Cultural Safety Training Programme
Socially accountable health curricula, designed to decrease Aboriginal health inequities through the transformation of health professional students into culturally safe practitioners, has become a focal point for health professional programmes. Despite this inclusion in health curricula there remains the question of how to best assess students in this area in relation to the concept, of cultural safety and transformative unlearning, to facilitate…
Commissioning and equity in primary care in Australia: Views from Primary Health Networks
This paper reports findings from 55 stakeholder interviews undertaken in six Primary Health Networks (PHNs) in Australia as part of a study of the impact of population health planning in regional primary health organisations on service access and equity. Primary healthcare planning is currently undertaken by PHNs which were established in 2015 as commissioning organisations. This was a departure from the role of Medicare Locals, the previous regi…
Strengths and challenges for Koori Kids: Harder for Koori Kids, Koori Kids doing well - Exploring Aboriginal perspectives on social determinants of Aboriginal child health and wellbeing
This study explored Aboriginal perspectives of child health and wellbeing in an urban area in partnership with Aboriginal people and organisations. In depth interviews were conducted with 25 grandparents, parents, aunties or uncles of Aboriginal children. Interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed. A major conceptual theme was related to social, historical, and political factors seen by participants as influencing urban Aboriginal chil…
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ meanings of home: A systematic scoping review
Meanings of home differ across cultures, ontologies, and geographies. Housing literature predominantly applies a Western worldview to home, with home meaning a dwelling and a site of belonging, economic value and social reproduction. First Peoples’ meanings of home are largely rendered invisible and undervalued within this discourse. A systematic scoping review explored meanings of home from the perspective of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islande…
Promoting action on structural drivers of health inequity: Principles for policy evaluation
Background: Insufficient progress has been made towards reducing health inequities, due in part to a lack of action on the root causes of health inequities. At present, there is a limited evidence base to guide policy decision making in this space. Key points for discussion: This paper proposes new principles for researchers to conduct health equity policy evaluation. Four key principles are presented: (1) where to evaluate – shifting from famili…
Aboriginal perspectives of child health and wellbeing in an urban setting: Developing a conceptual framework
Strengths and challenges for Koori Kids: Harder for Koori Kids, Koori Kids doing well - Exploring Aboriginal perspectives on social determinants of Aboriginal child health and wellbeing
This study explored Aboriginal perspectives of child health and wellbeing in an urban area in partnership with Aboriginal people and organisations. In depth interviews were conducted with 25 grandparents, parents, aunties or uncles of Aboriginal children. Interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed. A major conceptual theme was related to social, historical, and political factors seen by participants as influencing urban Aboriginal chil…
Working at the interface in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health: Focussing on the individual health professional and their organisation as a means to address health equity
A health professional's practice at the interface cannot be considered in isolation from individual and organisational contexts. It is critical to consider how the organisational and individual factors identified in this research will be addressed in health professional training and practice, in order to maximise the ability of health professionals to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and therefore contribute to addressing he…
Yarning up with Koori kids’ – hearing the voices of Australian urban Indigenous children about their health and well-being
The overwhelming conclusion to be drawn from this research is that Indigenous children in urban areas need ongoing recognition of both their agency and resilience in the face of adversity, within a wider context of historical and contemporary racialisation and racism
Commissioning and equity in primary care in Australia: Views from Primary Health Networks
This paper reports findings from 55 stakeholder interviews undertaken in six Primary Health Networks (PHNs) in Australia as part of a study of the impact of population health planning in regional primary health organisations on service access and equity. Primary healthcare planning is currently undertaken by PHNs which were established in 2015 as commissioning organisations. This was a departure from the role of Medicare Locals, the previous regi…
How institutional forces, ideas and actors shaped population health planning in Australian regional primary health care organisations
There are numerous institutional, normative and cultural factors influencing population health planning. The experience of Australian Medicare Locals highlights the difficulties of planning in such a way that the impact of the social determinants on health and health equity are taken into account. The policy environment favours a focus on clinical services to the detriment of health promotion informed by a social determinants focus
Social Determinants of Indigenous Health and Indigenous Rights in Policy: A Scoping Review and Analysis of Problem Representation
Despite evidence showing the importance of social determinants of Indigenous health and Indigenous rights for health and equity, they are not always recognised within policy. This scoping review identified research on public policy and Indigenous health through a systematic search. Key themes identified included the impact of ongoing colonisation; the central role of government in realising rights; and the difficulties associated with the provisi…
Indigenous research methodology – weaving a research interface
Indigenous research Knowledges and methodologies have existed over millennia, however it is only recently that Indigenous scholars have been able to challenge institutional Western hegemony to reclaim sovereignty in the research space. Despite the high volume of quantitative research describing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, there has been limited evaluation of the value added through incorporation of Indigenous Knowledges and meth…
Development and Validation of a Questionnaire to Measure Attitude change in Health Professionals after Completion of an Aboriginal Health and Cultural Safety Training Programme
Socially accountable health curricula, designed to decrease Aboriginal health inequities through the transformation of health professional students into culturally safe practitioners, has become a focal point for health professional programmes. Despite this inclusion in health curricula there remains the question of how to best assess students in this area in relation to the concept, of cultural safety and transformative unlearning, to facilitate…
Trauma and Violence Informed Care Through Decolonising Interagency Partnerships: A Complexity Case Study of Waminda’s Model of Systemic Decolonisation
Through the lens of complexity, we present a nested case study describing a decolonisation approach developed and implemented by Waminda South Coast Women's Health and Welfare Aboriginal Corporation. Using Indigenous research methods, this case study has unfolded across three phases: (1) Yarning interviews with the workforce from four partner health services ( n = 24); (2) Yarning circle bringing together key informants from yarning interviews to…
Evaluation of the Ecohis and the Caries-QC among an Australian “Aboriginal” population
A glossary of theories for understanding power and policy for health equity
Progressing public policies that improve health equity requires understanding and addressing the creation, use and distribution of power. This glossary provides an overview of some of the most relevant conceptualisations of the dynamics of power in policy with implications for health equity. The aim is to provide an accessible overview of the different theories and perspectives behind power for public health focused policy researchers and advocat…
Strife of Interests: Constraints on integrated and co-ordinated comprehensive PHC in Australia
Challenges facing primary health care in federated government systems: Implementation of Primary Health Networks in Australian states and territories
They Are Worth Their Weight in Gold”: Families and Clinicians’ Perspectives on the Role of First Nations Health Workers in Paediatric Burn Care in Australia
Burns affect Australia's First Nations children more than other Australian children, they also experience longer lengths of stay in tertiary burns units and face barriers in accessing burn aftercare treatment. Data sets from two studies were combined whereby 19 families, 11 First Nations Health Worker (FNHW) and 56 multidisciplinary burn team members from across Australia described the actual or perceived role of FNHW in multidisciplinary burn ca…
Stakeholder perceptions of policy implementation for Indigenous health and cultural safety: A study of Australia's ‘Closing the Gap’ policies
Indigenous peoples in Australia and similar colonised countries are subject to racism and systemic socioeconomic disadvantages, resulting in worse health outcomes compared to non‐Indigenous counterparts. Such inequities persist despite governments’ attempts to reduce them. Since 2008, Australian governments have committed to a national ‘Closing the Gap’ (CTG) to reduce inequities in health, education, and employment outcomes between Aboriginal an…
Advancing Indigenous self-determination and health equity: Lessons from a failed Australian public policy
The 2007 Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER) targeted Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory in Australia. The NTER imposed draconian measures unfavourable to health, contributing to health inequities. There is little research investigating why the NTER was framed so negatively, and how this framing passed into legislation so unassailably. We used institutional theory to understand what factors contributed to the NTER agenda fr…
Integrating Trauma and Violence Informed Care in Primary Health Care Settings for First Nations Women Experiencing Violence: A Systematic Review
It is imperative that access to primary health care services is equitable as health care practitioners are often the first responders to women who experience violence. This is of particular importance for First Nations women who disproportionately experience interpersonal and structural violence when compared to non-First Nations women, as well as the ongoing impact of colonization, racism, and intergenerational trauma. To understand how primary …
Community Engagement and Psychometric Methods in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Patient-Reported Outcome Measures and Surveys—A Scoping Review and Critical Analysis
(1) Background: In healthcare settings, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and surveys are accepted, patient-centered measures that provide qualitative information on dimensions of health and wellbeing. The level of psychometric assessment and engagement with end users for their design can vary significantly. This scoping review describes the psychometric and community engagement processes for PROMs and surveys developed for Aboriginal and…
Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Theories of Wellbeing and Their Suitability for Wellbeing Policy
A growing interest among governments in policies to promote wellbeing has the potential to revive a social view of health promotion. However, success may depend on the way governments define wellbeing and conceptualize ways to promote it. We analyze theories of wellbeing to discern twelve types of wellbeing theory and assess the suitability of each type of theory as a basis for effective wellbeing policies. We used Durie's methodology of working …
Promoting action on structural drivers of health inequity: Principles for policy evaluation
Background: Insufficient progress has been made towards reducing health inequities, due in part to a lack of action on the root causes of health inequities. At present, there is a limited evidence base to guide policy decision making in this space. Key points for discussion: This paper proposes new principles for researchers to conduct health equity policy evaluation. Four key principles are presented: (1) where to evaluate – shifting from famili…
Why are Indigenous Affairs Policies Framed in ways that Undermine Indigenous Health and Equity: Examining Australia’s Northern Territory Emergency Response
The 2007 Australian Northern Territory Emergency Response policy was harmful to the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We thematically analysed 72 speech acts and reports from the three prominent perspectives: a Northern Territory government inquiry report, the Federal government, and an Aboriginal civil society coalition to examine how framings during the policy agenda setting phase constrained or supported scope for equitab…
Challenging deficit discourse in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nutrition and dietetics research: A critical discourse analysis
Prior to colonisation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples used detailed knowledges on food and nutrition to develop sustainable practices which supported strong and healthy ways of life. Despite this, there is often a focus in the nutrition and dietetics literature on the deficits relating to food and nutrition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, rather than the strengths. This study used a critical discourse analysis to…
Continuing the conversation about strengths-based approaches and deficit discourses in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nutrition research; response to Brimblecombe et al., 2023
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ meanings of home: A systematic scoping review
Meanings of home differ across cultures, ontologies, and geographies. Housing literature predominantly applies a Western worldview to home, with home meaning a dwelling and a site of belonging, economic value and social reproduction. First Peoples’ meanings of home are largely rendered invisible and undervalued within this discourse. A systematic scoping review explored meanings of home from the perspective of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islande…
Political science (22 works) · Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights (17 works) · Sociology (17 works) · Medicine (13 works) · Indigenous (12 works) · Health care (11 works) · Public relations (11 works) · Law (9 works) · Nursing (9 works) · Psychology (9 works)