On 1 August we honoured the birthday of the late Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue AC CBE DSG, our namesake and co-patron, who would have turned 93 years of age. From now on, 1 August will be recognised annually by Lowitja Institute and the Lowitja O’Donoghue Foundation as Lowitja O’Donoghue Day
Last week we acknowledged the birthday of our late namesake and co-patron, Yankunytjatjara woman Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue AC CBE DSG. Commencing this year, Lowitja Institute and the Lowitja O’Donoghue Foundation now annually recognises 1 August as Lowitja O’Donoghue Day. This celebration honours Dr O’Donoghue’s life and legacy, as well as the anniversary of the Lowitja O’Donoghue Foundation’s establishment in 2022.
I encourage you to join us in marking Lowitja O’Donoghue Day by reflecting on Dr O’Donoghue’s legacy and how you (as an individual or member of an organisation and/or community) can meaningfully honour her on this day.
The LOWITJA – A Life of Leadership and Legacy exhibition recently wrapped up after a very successful seven-week run at the Kerry Packer Civic Gallery in the University of South Australia’s Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre.
The Lowitja O’Donoghue Foundation has had an incredible reaction to the exhibition, which was attended by more than 3,000 people. As well as attracting national media interest, the exhibition sparked important conversations. We heard personal insights from those who knew Dr O’Donoghue, feedback from a variety of professions (including health, education, the corporate sector and Aboriginal community controlled organisations) and inspiring reflections from school students – our next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders. The dominant response was that stories such as Dr O’Donoghue’s need to be told widely and more frequently, particularly on national level.
We offer thanks to our Lowitja Institute colleagues Deb and Ruby Edwards, Dr O’Donoghue’s niece and great-niece respectively, for their work on planning and curating the exhibition. They were assisted by Mahailia Levinson, Dr O’Donoghue’s great-niece, who also worked at the exhibition. Deb, Ruby and Mahailia ran regular tours of the gallery for schools and private groups, sharing family stories and insights. Related to this, we acknowledge the emotional weight the exhibition carried for Stolen Generations survivors and their families. To those who attended, we offer you our support and solidarity, and hope you found strength and inspiration in Dr O’Donoghue’s words, achievements, and ongoing impact.
ngun-godjin
(thank you)
Paul Stewart
CEO
Celebrating 1 August, Lowitja O'Donoghue Day
On 1 August we honoured the birthday of the late Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue AC CBE DSG, our namesake and co-patron, who would have turned 93 years of age. From now on, 1 August will be recognised annually by Lowitja Institute and the Lowitja O’Donoghue Foundation as Lowitja O’Donoghue Day. This annual celebration will honour Dr O’Donoghue’s life and legacy, whilst also commemorating her birthday and the anniversary of the establishment of her Foundation.
Lowitja O’Donoghue Day is a call to action for individuals, communities, and organisations to take time to reflect on Dr O’Donoghue’s mission and values, and to create positive impact in their own communities in her memory.
Lowitja Institute conference round-up: photos, plenary recordings and presentations
Thank you for attending our 4th International Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Conference 2025, as we gathered together on Kaurna Country, Adelaide, South Australia from 16–19 June 2025. Every delegate contributed to an incredible week of sharing Indigenous knowledges and thought leadership.
Click above to watch our conference wrap-up video
Relive spectacular conference moments on Kaurna Country, from our keynote addresses and panels to social events including the Gala Dinner.
Did you miss one of our keynote speakers? Or are you keen to re-watch one of our three conference panels? We are excited to share our plenary keynote and panel presentations, and some of our best photos from the conference week available on our conference website.
Interested in HIV or viral hepatitis research? Apply for a GLOWS Seeding Research Grant
Applications are currently open for the GLOWS Seeding Research Grant Round 2025, targeted at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers at all career stages (community, emerging/early years, mid-career, and established). The GLOWS program supports research aimed at improving unacceptable health inequities in areas of HIV and viral hepatitis (HBV, HCV and HDV) among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.
Community controlled sector comes together to discuss co-design in policy development
Last month we hosted a roundtable that brought together representatives from the Aboriginal community controlled sector to discuss co-design in policy development and what practical tools and strategies are needed to support genuine co-design for ACCOs. We heard from the papers authors (Dr Tamara Butler, Associate Professor Kate Anderson and Dr Oliver Black), as well as Jess Yamaguchi from Kowa Collaboration and Hasthi Dissanayake from the Petery Doherty Institute, who shared their experiences and approaches to co-design in their work.
Lowitja Institute will be publishing a summary paper to capture discussions from the roundtable, as well as case studies of best practice co-design.
New paper: An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Systems Approach to Suicide Prevention
This newly published report represents a collaboration between the Centre for Best Practice in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention (CBPATSISP) and Black Dog Institute to develop a culturally-grounded and community-led systems approach to suicide prevention. This work brings together knowledges shared by an Expert Advisory Group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous scholars, knowledge holders, practitioners, community controlled representatives, and lived-experience advocates.
The systems approach framework highlights the need for significant change and reform. The paper outlines the requirements of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander systems approach to suicide prevention and proposes a framework and implementation guidelines for an approach that incorporates Indigenous knowledges with multiple evidence-based strategies, as opposed to a single strategy.
LOWITJA – A Life of Leadership and Legacy exhibition wraps up on Kaurna Country
Thank you to everyone who joined us to remember and honour Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue’s remarkable life and lasting impact in an inaugural exhibition portraying her most iconic, triumphant, and heartbreaking moments from childhood, a career in health, Indigenous activism, high-profile leadership, and stellar career in Australian Aboriginal Affairs. The exhibition was held at the Kerry Packer Civic Gallery, University of South Australia in Adelaide.
(L) Head of the Lowitja O'Donoghue Foundation Deb Edwards engaging with Professor Jackie Huggins during the exhibition.
The exhibition featured vision of a selection of Dr O’Donoghue’s landmark speeches and media interviews, historic items of personal clothing and awards, items of cultural and political significance, newspaper clippings and quotes, and never seen before photographs, letters, and reports. Themes within the exhibition included Stolen Generations, Nursing and Health, Aboriginal Affairs, ATSIC, Significant Achievements, Family, and Indigenous Peoples.
Watch webinar: Peer reviewing for First Nations Health and Wellbeing: The Lowitja Journal
In our most-recent Lowitja Journal webinar, Professor Karen Adams (Senior Editor) and Professor Catherine Chamberlain (co-Editor-In-Chief) discussed the contemporary context for peer review of Indigenous health research and the complexities Indigenous and non-Indigenous peer reviewers can experience at the cultural interface.
Ahead of applications opening for Lowitja Institute's 2025 Seeding Grant round, our Research & Knowledge Translation team is hosting the second of two information sessions for those interested in submitting an application for grant funding. We recently held two Q&A session provide details of the 2025 Seeding Grant round, including information on application opening and closing dates, and support mechanisms.
Health Journey Mapping: supporting culturally-safe healthcare for First Nations Peoples
University of Adelaide researchers are embarking on a new project to investigate the implementation of journey mapping, which is the process of recording different stages of individuals' health journeys.
Building on two Lowitja Institute-funded projects, Managing Two Worlds Together and Health Journey Mapping, this work aims to identify use, evaluate the implementation, make the tools more accessible, and reflect on what worked.
The research team, led by Dr Kim O’Donnell and Professor Janet Kelly, started exploring the benefits of journey mapping in 2008, co-designing journey mapping tools and resources to support culturally safe healthcare with and for First Nations Peoples.
Our Health Journey Mapping tools and resources are now available to both members and non-members, this is one of many resources available from Lowitja Institute to support your work in health and research.
Social Media Can Make You Feel No Good (resource available available in Arrernte, Warlpiri, Pitjantjatjara, Pintubi-Luritja and English), Mental Health Association of Central Australia (MHACA)
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