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About this webinar:

This webinar will discuss how co-design and other collaborative research methodologies are often misapplied in research involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It will highlight the ways these approaches can fall short of genuine partnership and instead remain extractive in practice. The webinar will also outline strategies to strengthen research methods so they support true collaboration, ensuring that both the processes and outcomes are culturally safe and grounded in respect, reciprocity, and Indigenous ways of knowing.

About the speaker:

Associate Professor Summer Finlay is a Yorta Yorta woman and Associate Professor of Indigenous Health at the University of Wollongong, where she is Director of the Ngarruwan Ngadju First Nations Health and Wellbeing Research Centre. A leading voice in Indigenous health and public health reform, she drives high-impact, community-led research grounded in Indigenous Standpoint and sovereignty, with a strong focus on translating evidence into tangible policy and systems change.

Associate Professor Finlay has led nationally significant research programs addressing Indigenous health service delivery, public health policy, and the structural determinants of health inequity. Her work in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health spans research with young people, women’s health, primary care, health communications, and the evaluation of complex health and wellbeing programs. Recognised for both methodological rigour and real-world impact, she is known for building genuine partnerships with communities and influencing policy at the highest levels.

Associate Professor Finlay holds several prominent leadership roles, including Chair of Thirrili, Editor of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, Chair of the World Federation of Public Health Associations Indigenous Working Group, and Board Director of Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia.

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