Nina Sivertsen, Annette Briley and Tahlia Johnson

Nina Sivertsen, PhD (Nurs/Midwif), is an Arctic Indigenous Sea-Sámi woman living and working on Kaurna Lands in Australia, while holding a position as Associate Professor with the Arctic University of Norway. Her work centres on women and family health, the impacts of colonisation and assimilation on healthcare, with a particular focus on integrating culture into mainstream health care provision. Her academic contributions encompass First Nations curriculum design and implementation, with cultural responsiveness in the centre. Nina’s research primarily addresses women’s and family health, health systems and services research, and contributes to shaping restorative policies and practices in mainstream health that benefit Sámi, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. She works in inter-Indigenous settings together with First Nations health professionals from around the world to improve healthcare and health outcomes for all First Nations people. Nina’s work in the nexus of Indigenous women’s identities, culture, health, and education has led to international recognition as evidenced by her partnerships in Norway, Canada and Australia. She is the recipient of numerous awards; amongst them the 2024 ACN Health Minister's Nursing Trailblazer Award (finalist), 2024 Flinders Reconciliation Award (Team), 2022 Flinders Reconciliation Award (Individual), 2021 Women in Innovation Award South Australia, the 2020 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Innovation in Teaching, as well as being a finalist of the 2021 AFR National Teaching Excellence Awards. Associate Professor Sivertsen is an active member of many community organisations and academic committees providing space for Indigenous voices within strategic planning, governance, and curriculum. She works with research higher degree students to create new knowledge and build capacity enabling students to fulfil their potential as independent academics and researchers of the future. A UK qualified nurse and midwife Annette has over 40 years experience in midwifery. After working clinically and expanding scope of practice to include ultrasound scanning, bereavement care and fetal medicine she has worked continuously in research, whilst maintaining clinical competence and expertise. Annette has contributed to many local, national and international clinical trials that have informed guidelines and changed practice. These include interventions and management in high risk pregnancies, intrapartum care, models of midwifery care, and development of training simulators, screening tools and devices to improve birth outcomes. Prior to working in Australia, she was the Consultant Midwife Research at Guys and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, where she was R and D Lead, NIHR Co-Specialty Lead for Reproductive Health and Childbirth, NIHR Advocate for Research career for NMAPs (MIdwifery) and chair of the NIHR CRN Midwife Champions Group. She also managed a multidisciplinary team that developed and undertook multiple clinical trials and other research in women's and children's health. Since arriving in Australia in 2020 she has maintained international links and developed new collaborations, investigating preconceptual interventions to improve pregnancy outcomes in heavier women, dietary requirements for incarcerated pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, continuity of midwifery care, management of intrapartum complications, such as postpartum haemorrhage, impacted fetal head, and rotation prior to instrumental vaginal birth. Tahlia Johnson is a proud Warramunga midwife with clinical experience from Kaurna Country, passionate about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women’s health, particularly birth and postpartum. Tahlia works as an academic at Flinders University, educating health students around incorporating culture in practice. She works as a researcher focusing on Indigenous curriculum, women’s and family health, as well as researching colonisation in health systems and services. She specialises in implementing qualitative Indigenous research methods across research teams. Tahlia’s goal is to find the evidence we need to make positive changes to the health services we provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in mainstream health.