Sharon Bonython-Ericson

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Fulbright Queensland Scholar

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“There are few things more important than correcting the disparity in life expectancy between Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders and non-Indigenous Australians. Good health during childhood and adulthood is often contingent on a healthy childhood, so ameliorating the medicinal treatment and health outcomes of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander children is imperative to overcome health disparities in our remote communities.”

Sharon Bonython-Ericson has been awarded the inaugural Fulbright Queensland Scholarship to conduct PhD research at Brown University or UCLA on Indigenous health comparisons between Far North Queensland with North America. Sharon is of Torres Strait Islander descent, grew up in Cairns and has lived in the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander community of Yarrabah near Cairns over the last 12 years. She is a graduate from The University of Sydney, with a Bachelor of Health Science and Graduate Diploma in Health.

The Fulbright Queensland Scholarship was established in 2006 through the support of the Queensland Government and all the Queensland based universities. It provides an opportunity for a Queensland resident to undertake postgraduate study or research in the U.S. on topics or issues relevant to Queensland that will provide long term benefits to the state, as well as Australia.

The title of Sharon’s research is Investigation into the Quality Use of Medicine for treatment of infectious disease with antibiotics among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander paediatric patients: A comparative study between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Far North Queensland and Native Americans in the U.S. Sharon believes this innovative piece of research will be one of the first scientific studies to document the quality use of medicines in Far North Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to learn from the Native American experience to develop best practices in patient education and administering of antibiotics in paediatric infections diseases.

“The study will focus especially on the experience of carers and pharmacists in administering medication for infectious diseases to Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islanders, and Native American children. The study will also examine the barriers to administering medicine in a compliance fashion specific to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.”

“I take a holistic view of this work that involves the integration of traditional and western practices. Medicine people hold a prominent role in both our Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander culture, traditional knowledge and experience with application of traditional medicines are practices and still passed down to members of the community today,” Sharon said.

Sharon has been recognised for her academic achievements with a Postgraduate Research Scholarship and an Indigenous Postgraduate Scholarship. She has also worked with the Cairns and Yarrabah communities on education support programs. In 2001 she established “Keeping Our Kids at School” program, a cultural community exchange program with a school which motivated youth in the community to be involved in the Alcohol and Drug Free program to give KIDS choices about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. In 2005 she established a community science group, “Better Learning for Academic Community Kids” (BLACK) group focused on exposing children to science in an engaging and fun environment.