NOFASD Board Member, Distinguished Professor Elizabeth Elliott and her fellow University of Sydney colleague, Dr Lauren Rice, in partnership with Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre, have won the Lowitja Institute’s 2025 Tarrn-doon-nonin Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research Project Award, recognising outstanding research in the field of Indigenous health and wellbeing.
They won the award for their contributions to the Bigiswun Kid Project, which was conducted as part of a 17-year partnership between Senior Aboriginal women from Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre (MWRC) and the University.
The Bigiswun Kid Project provides information on longitudinal outcomes for adolescents in the remote Fitzroy Valley region. In 2020-2022, the project followed up 89% of the Lililwan Project cohort at age 17-19 years. The Lililwan project was a population-based prevalence study of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) conducted in 2010-2011. Ninety-five percent of all eligible children aged 7-9 years living in the Fitzroy Valley region at that time participated in this project.
Congratulations Elizabeth and Lauren – the NOFASD team is delighted to see your commitment to contributing to improved outcomes in Indigenous health and wellbeing recognised by this prestigious award!