Wuchopperen Health Service Limited is partnering with QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and the Queensland Genomics Health Alliance to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to have their say on genetic research.
The free community forum will take place from 11 am – 1 pm at 6 Moignard St, Manoora on Thursday 30 August. A free healthy lunch will be provided.
Wuchopperen CEO Dania Ahwang said the community forum supported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self-determination.
‘We are pleased to be working with such a renowned organisation as QIMR Berghofer to find out more about this important branch of medicine, and to get our voices heard,’ she said.
‘Wuchopperen supports community consultation, and the rights of Indigenous peoples to be included in projects which impact on them. We commend QIMR for their inclusive approach to this complex issue.’
QIMR Berghofer’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research Manager Greg Pratt said genetic medicine, or genomics, had the potential to advance Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, but First Peoples had not always been included in the research process.
‘Genomics has enormous potential to improve the way we diagnose and treat diseases and to reduce rates of disease among Queenslanders,’ he said.
‘While there are a range of genomics projects underway in Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have often been left out of the research process, and are therefore not benefiting from subsequent improvements in healthcare.’
‘Right now, there are no practical guidelines for researchers on the ethical conduct of genomic research involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders.’
‘The purpose of this forum is to find out from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people how they want to engage with genetic research, the treatments it generates, and their views on the field as a whole.’
‘We encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders to attend this free forum, find out more about this important area of healthcare, and share their views about genomics.’