FHMRI Trauma and Injury - Flinders University

Trauma and Injury contributes to understanding the nature, causes and effects of human injury, and to reducing its occurrence and consequences.

We undertake research which has strong industry and consumer engagement, and work with data in a variety of formats from clinical epidemiological repositories through to community co-design for injury initiatives. Our team has specific expertise in Indigenous research methodologies, consumer engagement, co-design, epidemiology and biostatistics, which combined with public health expertise, allows the team to cover a wide variety of facets related to trauma and injury.

Research projects

Our research projects

SMART-PH (MRFF NCRI) (2024-Current)

SMART-PH (MRFF NCRI): Digitising Information for Practice in Public Health (SMART-PH) will be a first in establishing a comprehensive public health data analytics platform underpinned by AI capabilities in South Australia.

Through leveraging a pre-existing clinical digital analytics platform, SMART-PH will create a public health data lake which integrates public health data across relevant agencies (i.e. local jurisdictions/councils, non-government organisations) to generate public health decision support tools derived from AI technologies and evaluate the effectiveness of public health interventions, whilst generating new public health knowledge, data visualisation and automated reporting capabilities.

The project will facilitate accessibility across a wide range of organisations that work to enhance population health as well as accessibility to the public and community organisations. SMART-PH will be co-designed, co-developed, co-evaluated and implemented with a range of stakeholders including public health practitioners, digital health and data scientists, statisticians, epidemiologists, behavioural scientists, organisations and communities.

Principle Investigator: Associate Professor Courtney Ryder
Research Fellow: Dr Lavender Otieno
Research Officer: Pip Henderson

OOPHE (MRFF) (2024-Current)

Out-of-Pocket Healthcare Expenditure (OOPHE) are additional expenses (i.e. travel, medication, equipment, time off work) not covered by Medicare or Private Health Insurance.

This project aims to build and implement a social prescribing digital platform for OOPHE, underpinned by citizen science approaches to harness the wealth of knowledge amongst consumers in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities with lived experience and passion for creating and determining solutions.

The Web App will bring together: co-created OOPHE health knowledge through videos; a co-created culturally and psychometrically assessed OOPHE tool; promotion of OOPHE self-efficacy; and a mechanism for connecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander citizens with culturally safe community and health services.

Principle Investigator: Associate Professor Courtney Ryder
Project Officer: Georga Sallows

Publications:

Experiences and impacts of out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure on remote Aboriginal families: Ryder, C., D'Angelo, S., Sharpe, P., Mackean, T., Cominos, N., Coombes, J., Bennett-Brook, K., Cameron, D., Gloede, E., Ullah, S. & Stephens, J., 26 Apr 2024, In: Rural and Remote Health. 24, 1, 9 p., 8328.

Administration of Burns First Aid Treatment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in community settings: Coombes, J., Möeller, H., Fraser, S., Williams, H., Hunter, K., Ivers, R., Holland, A. J., Mackean, T., Sharpe, P. & Ryder, C., Dec 2024, In: Burns. 50, 9, 7 p., 107219.

Nra:gi Ya:yun (MRFF) (2022-Current)

Nra:gi Ya:yun (MRFF): Diabetes is a chronic health condition contributing to 11% of all deaths and costing the Australian healthcare system $2.7M annually.

In Aboriginal communities diabetes is lethal, with greater diagnoses rates (3 times) and mortality 5 times greater than non-Indigenous Australians. During the formative phase of this study we employed two novel methodologies in Strengths-Based Approaches and Knowledge Interface to integrate the strengths of Aboriginal dietary knowledge with the strengths of recent scientific evidence on the impact of ketogenic diets on diabetes and metabolic syndrome in our co-design of Nra:gi Ya:yun.

This initiative will be the first of its kind to evaluate a co-designed diabetes and metabolic remission program - Nra:gi Ya:yun - with Aboriginal people, bringing together Indigenous knowledges and research methods from Ngarrindjeri knowledge holders (Elders, senior community representatives and leaders), Aboriginal researchers, clinicians and health professionals, with Western knowledges and research methods from experienced clinicians, dieticians, public health researchers, Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) and metabolic diseases. This 28-week non-randomised stepped wedge pilot tests the metabolic impacts and feasibility of a co-designed nutritional intervention for Aboriginal adults aged over 18, with Type 2 Diabetes or metabolic syndrome living on Ngarrindjeri Country. Participants will be supported to adopt a low sugar, low carbohydrate diet.

Principle Investigator: Associate Professor Courtney Ryder
Project Officer: Shanti Omodei-James

Publications:

Exploration of barriers and enablers to diabetes care for Aboriginal people on rural Ngarrindjeri Country: Omodei-James, S., Wilson, A., Kropinyeri, R., Cameron, D., Wingard, S., Kerrigan, C., Scriven, T., Wilson, S., Mendham, A. E., Spaeth, B., Stranks, S., Kaambwa, B., Ullah, S., Worley, P. & Ryder, C., 28 Aug 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Health Promotion Journal of Australia. 12 p.

Knowledge interface co-design of a diabetes and metabolic syndrome initiative with and for Aboriginal people living on Ngarrindjeri country: Cameron, D., Wilson, A., Mendham, A. E., Wingard, S., Kropinyeri, R., Scriven, T., Kerrigan, C., Spaeth, B., Stranks, S., Kaambwa, B., Ullah, S., Worley, P. & Ryder, C., Jun 2024, In: Public Health in Practice. 7, 5 p., 100496.

Community co-design to target diabetes and metabolic syndrome in Australian Indigenous peoples: Ryder, C., Wingard, S., Cameron, D., Kerrigan, C., Worley, P., Spaeth, B., Stranks, S., Kaambwa, B., Ullah, S., Wang, J. & Wilson, A., Feb 2023, In: Nature Medicine. 29, 2, p. 292–293 2 p.

Transforming Injury (NHMRC Investigator) (2023-Current)

Transforming Injury (NHMRC Investigator): Child injury is a national priority yet is an under resourced area which is particularly critical for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who endure the greatest burden. Ryder’s investigator grant is a call to action on this burden, through targeted community intervention and prevention programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in South Australia.

Principle Investigator: Associate Professor Courtney Ryder

IMPACT (MRFF) (2025-Current)

IMPACT (MRFF): Trauma care systems in Australia are based on Western biomedical concepts that, while effective for the dominant population, fail to meet the unique needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, perpetuating health inequities.

Current frameworks lack culturally inclusive quality indicators and integrated care models aligned with Indigenous knowledge. For example, critical cultural practices like Ngangkari healing or Aboriginal Health Workers' contributions are unacknowledged in standard clinical classifications. Furthermore, trauma repositories fail to collect and represent Indigenous data comprehensively, undermining Indigenous data sovereignty and perpetuating marginalisation.

The IMPACT project addresses these gaps by co-designing culturally responsive trauma systems with Aboriginal communities, clinical teams, and health networks. It will develop integrated care models, culturally appropriate patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), and relational quality indicators to reflect Indigenous health and wellbeing. IMPACT aims to close the gap in trauma outcomes, improve health system accountability, and enable the translation of Indigenous-inclusive approaches across other clinical domains, enhancing outcomes for First Nations peoples nationally.

Principle Investigator: Associate Professor Courtney Ryder
Project Officer: Georga Sallows

Road Traffic (LSA) (2022-Current)

Road Traffic (LSA): Road safety remains a critical policy concern in Australia, with road trauma imposing significant financial and social burdens, particularly on remote, lower socioeconomic, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Transport injuries disproportionately affect these populations, yet research often lacks Indigenous perspectives and underutilises linked data to address inequities. This study examines the extent, costs, and causes of serious road traffic injuries in South Australia and New South Wales and identify enablers and barriers to compensation schemes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients. Guided by an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Governance Group, it applies Knowledge Interface Methodology and Indigenous research principles to ensure data sovereignty and informed perspectives. Using a mixed-methods approach, including big data analysis and patient journey mapping, the study is contributing to targeted injury prevention strategies and equitable policies to improve road safety and healthcare outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Principle Investigator: Associate Professor Courtney Ryder

Publications:

Characterising the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patient journey after a serious road traffic injury and barriers to access to compensation: a protocol: Hossain, S., Moeller, H., Sharpe, P., Campbell, M., Kimlin, R., Porykali, B., Shannon, B., Gray, J., Afzali, H., Harrison, J. E., Ivers, R. Q. & Ryder, C., Feb 2024, In: Injury Prevention. 30, 1, p. 75-80 6 p.

Police and hospital data linkage for traffic injury surveillance: A systematic review: Soltani, A., Harrison, J. E., Ryder, C., Flavel, J. & Watson, A., Mar 2024, In: Accident Analysis and Prevention. 197, 21 p., 107426.

Past research projects

2024

Application for: Transforming HEalth and Wellbeing Outcomes from Injury for Aboriginal and Torres Strait IsLander Children - The HEAL Cohort Study - CMPH - URB & USF - High Impact Collaboration Funding ($97,506)

2021

Implementing holistic burn care through a culturally safe integrated model. NHMRC RART, ($2,410,958).
Research with the Riverland Academy of Clinical Excellence, ($400,000).
The Australian Traumatic Brain Injury National Data (ATBIND) Project. MRFF, ($365,995).
Yarning Up on Out-of-Pocket Healthcare Expenditure. CRE Research Excellence in Aboriginal Child and Adolescent Health ($17,628).

2020

Understanding Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditure Impacts on Aboriginal Families in Australia, Flinders Health and Medical Research Council Kickstart Grant, ($21,650).

2017

Preventing Falls in Older Aboriginal People: The Ironbark Trial, NHMRC, ($3,000,000).
Quality of life, associated psychological and economic family impacts, and trajectory of recovery in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander paediatric burns patients. NHMRC, ($86,117).

FHMRI Impact Program

The FHMRI Health Equity Impact Program (HEIP) brings together researchers from a wide range of backgrounds with a shared interest in promoting safe, inclusive, and equitable places and spaces where people live, learn, work and play.

The HEIP Impact Program promotes health equity by focusing on place-based approaches that consider local social and cultural contexts. By fostering collaborations, it aims to address social, cultural, and environmental determinants of health, extending beyond individual health issues to create more equitable and inclusive outcomes.

Co-directors: Associate Professor Courtney Ryder and Professor James Smith

Learn more on the FHMRI website

Collaborators

Our key collaboration partners include government, university and non-government agencies at State, National and International levels. Our involvement with these organisations range from participation on expert panels and boards to the commissioning of specific projects and collaborative ventures.

Past and ongoing partnerships

Our people

Our team

Current students

Ms Pip Henderson
Ms Kirsty Baker

Our adjuncts

Community engagement

One of our core values is community engagement and knowledge translation. For each of our research projects, we commission one to two pieces of artwork that reflect the heart of the project.

These artworks are inspired by Indigenous Knowledges (knowing, being and doing) as well as the research aims. Each piece is created by a local artist with strong connections to the community and lived experience. This approach ensures that the artwork not only communicates our research visually but also honours Indigenous Knowledges (knowing, being and doing).

The artwork is often used for knowledge translation pieces such as conference presentations and community identifiers (stickers, t-shirts, magnets, pins).

If this is something you are interested in contributing to, please submit an EOI.

Submit an EOI

Ngarrindjeri Bush Tucker, 2024

Aunty Ros Richards. 1958, Adelaide (raised at Wellington, Lake Alexandrina). Ngarrindjeri People

Acrylic on canvas

Commissioned by the Discipline of Trauma and Injury, College of Medicine and Public Health for Nra:gi Ya:yun (MRFF)

The Ngarrindjeri are "Water People" from the Lakes, Coorong, Southern Ocean, and mighty River system. For thousands of years our country provided the Ngarrindjeri with an abundance of fresh foods, fruits, vegetables, medicines, and materials for making what was needed for our living.

Ngarrindjeri men and women knew how to make baskets, for carrying their babies and for carrying fish, fruits, and other items. They also made fish scoops, mats to sit on and mats to keep their backs warm. This painting depicts the mat made from rushes which grow in sandy soil along the edges of the Coorong, Lakes, and River Murray waterways.

On the mat are the lily pillies which are widely used in traditional Aboriginal medicine, used as a treatment for sore ears, wounds, skin conditions, and generally consumed as an immune system booster.

Then there [are] the muntries (bush tomatoes) which is crunchy in texture and contains up to four times more antioxidants than blueberries and provides natural waxes that are good for skin nourishment.

The Lemon Myrtle is also rich in antioxidants, such as Vitamin C that helps reduce oxidative stress, support a healthy immune system, and promote overall wellness and rejuvenation.

Lastly the Wattleseed has been a staple food for Indigenous people for thousands of years, with the flavour and aroma of roasted coffee, nuts, and chocolate. Traditionally used in

Aboriginal cuisine, wattle seed was typically ground into flour for damper. These days you can find it in a range of sweet and savoury foods like ice-cream, muffins, roast meats, teas and even a substitute for coffee.

Community Connections Support Service, 2024

Collette Gray. 1984, Ceduna Kokatha people
Janine Gray. 1954, Koonibba Kokatha people

Acrylic on canvas

Commissioned by the Discipline of Trauma and Injury, College of Medicine and Public Health for Yarning Up on Out-of-Pocket Healthcare Expenditure.

This painting represents the Community Connections Support Service. Baby & Midwife are in the middle of the painting.

House - We all leave home to travel for medical reasons. When we leave, if not comfortable, then we feel that we don't belong there.

Leaving - When we leave home it feels like we are leaving family and culture behind.

Food - We need to eat food that helps us to function better and we don't like to have the latest takeaway, it's about our Cultural food we eat.

City - When we get sent away for medical reasons, some of our traditional Elders don't know their way around and need help to get to where they are going.

Money - To go places today we need money to get from here to there as cost of living has gone up.

Time - Everything revolves around time, if we're not on time something can't be done when they need it.

Fuel - I can't take my family down with me because I'm having financial difficulties that's going to leave me broke.

Mechanic Repairs - Cost a lot of money if needing to fix something urgently to travel safely for a long distance. Families who are travelling for medical reason need to make sure that they have funds available for car repairs.

Footprints - Is the people coming and going to and from these places.

Arches - Represents our women who can help with the support services that we use. Ladies in the bottom right are the supporters. Blue represents the water & sky. Green represents the grass and trees.

Yayan for the Mi:wi, 2024

Talia Scriven (née Rigney)

Ngarrindjeri People

Acrylic paint, mica powder and alcohol inks on canvas

Commissioned by the Discipline of Trauma and Injury, College of Medicine and Public Health for Nra:gi Ya:yun (MRFF)

It represents the years under the same moon that our ancestors have cared for and cultivated the land to nourish us with food as medicine. The long lives that we, as Ngarrindjeri people, used to live all connected together before things changed. The plants we used to forage, and the cool waters of the Coorong and lakes filled with fresh Kuti and Coorong Mullet. We had what we needed to have healthy souls.

“Wruwalun Mi:wi” Hoping/Believing Inner Spirit/Soul, 2024

Talia Scriven (née Rigney)

Ngarrindjeri People

Acrylic paint and gold leaf

Commissioned by the Discipline of Trauma and Injury, College of Medicine and Public Health

The strawberry gum blossoms represent the sweetness after a period of harshness. Gum blossoms often come back fuller and thrive after a bush fire has scorched trees leaves and branches to near nothing.

The sun coming up over the hills explain that the sun will always rise, and its warmth is needed for things to grow and overcome. It instils hope.

The circular ropes and tracks surrounding the Wombats symbolise all the different journeys we all take in this life, and they form a circle of safety around the young wombat and community.

Wombat tracks are surrounding the Wombats to explain the journey is never straight and we can step out of the lines from time to time. These represent the sharing of knowledge to empower and strengthen identity. There are two sets of tracks to show that our children don’t walk alone, they belong. The wombats have small suns inside their hearts which represent hope.