Christopher Lawrence

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Fulbright Indigenous Scholar sponsored by the Department of Education, Science & Training

Media Profile

“Diabetes is Australia’s fastest-growing chronic disease and the seventh highest cause of death in Australia. Australia’s Indigenous population suffers the fourth highest rate of type 2 diabetes in the world, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over 35 years among those at highest risk.”

Chris Lawrence has received the 2008 Fulbright Indigenous Scholarship sponsored by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. He is currently a Study Manager at The George Institute for International Health and completing a PhD in epidemiology at the University of Sydney. Through his Fulbright Scholarship, Chris will undertake research at the Brigham Womens Hospital in Boston, a teaching facility for Harvard’s Medical and Public Health Schools. He will also receive academic mentoring and supervision from within the School of Public Health at Harvard University.

“Scientists in the U.S. are world leaders in interventions designed to reduce the incidence of obesity and onset of type 2 diabetes amongst minority groups – African-American, Latino, Hispanic, and Vietnamese communities, as well as Native Americans, will be involved in my research project through the Brighams Womens Hospital,” explains Chris.

“To date, no Australian interventions designed to reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes amongst minority groups have been published. Therefore there is limited scientific expertise in this area in Australia. In contrast, researchers in the U.S. have demonstrated excellent results in this area using flexible, culturally sensitive methods.”

Australian Aboriginal peoples experience epidemic levels of diabetes compared with other Australians, yet little research has been done into methods of reducing the incidence of this chronic health problem.

Key government strategies for the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes in Australia include the National Diabetes Strategy 2000-2004 and NSW Chronic Disease Prevention Strategy 2003-2007.

“The strategies emphasise a holistic approach to health care, delivery of services in the communities where people live, training of local Aboriginal health workers and staff of community-controlled services, and that programs be based on needs determined by the community, developed, supported and run by the community, and that they be coordinated with other Aboriginal health promotion programs.”

“I aim to gain first hand experience of the methods and techniques employed by American scientists, and the impact of these interventions on Native American communities, in order to develop a high quality, evidence-based intervention to reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes amongst Aboriginal Australians.”

Chris, from the Noongar people and originally from Perth, has a Masters in Applied Epidemiology from the Australian National University and has been previously recognised with a European Educational Program in Epidemiology, a Career Development Award (Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW) and a NHMRC Capacity Building Grant. He has previously worked with the Derbarl Yerrrigan Health Service in Perth and the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research.