Senior Research Fellow, Alcohol and Pregnancy & FASD
BA (Hons) PhD
Physically, socially and emotionally healthy mothers provide their infants with the best possible start in life. Over two decades Tracy has acquired a unique and expert skill set from managing a maternity health service, conducting effective advocacy to government and undertaking research and translating outcomes to ensure women have access to high quality and safe maternity care which supports their individual and cultural needs and human rights.
For the past nine years Tracy has increasingly focussed her research efforts to contribute to improvements in the health outcomes and social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal women and their infants. This has included focussing on the cultural competency of health professionals and health systems, and promoting policy changes which support flexible and suitable service delivery to diverse women residing in diverse locations.
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Publications
June 2020
Putting ‘Justice’ in Recovery Capital: Yarning about Hopes and Futures with Young People in Detention
We must celebrate success and hope through a process of mapping and building recovery capital in the justice context at an individual and institutional level
Published research Aboriginal Health Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD Research Youth Mental HealthJuly 2019Has a national policy guideline influenced the practice of raising the topic of alcohol and breastfeeding by maternal healthcare practitioners?
Having a national policy guideline for safe alcohol consumption during lactation has not promoted awareness of this topic among maternal health practitioners
Published research Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchNovember 2019Disability "In-Justice": Benefits and Challenges of "Yarning" With Young People Undergoing Diagnostic Assessment for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Youth Detention
We report the findings from a qualitative study that took place alongside a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) prevalence study among detainees in Australia
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Published research Aboriginal Health Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchJanuary 2018A Novel Approach to Transforming Smoking Cessation Practice for Pregnant Aboriginal Women and Girls Living in the Pilbara
Tobacco smoking during pregnancy contributes to a range of adverse perinatal outcomes; but is a potentially modifiable behavior.
Published research Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD Research Aboriginal Maternal Health & Child DevelopmentDecember 2016From Consultation to Application: Practical Solutions for Improving Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes for Adolescent Aboriginal Mothers at a Local Level
Importance of creating models of antenatal care using a “social determinants of health” framework
Published research Aboriginal Health Aboriginal Maternal Health & Child DevelopmentJanuary 2016Maternity-care: measuring women’s perceptions
Development of an instrument to assess women's perception of their entire maternity-care experience
Published researchJanuary 2015'What women want': Using image theory to develop expectations of maternity care framework
Developing, in consultation with women, a theoretically-grounded framework to guide the assessment of women's maternity-care experiences.
Published researchJanuary 2015Development of a scale to evaluate midwives' beliefs about assessing alcohol use during pregnancy
Prenatal alcohol exposure is an important modifiable cause of adverse fetal outcomes during and following pregnancy.
Published research Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchNovember 2014Midwives' knowledge, attitudes and practice about alcohol exposure and the risk of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
There is a need for further professional development for midwives on screening and brief intervention regarding alcohol consumption during pregnancy and FASD
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Published research Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchOctober 2014Young Aboriginal women's voices on pregnancy care: Factors encouraging antenatal engagement
Understanding young Aboriginal women's views on pregnancy care is important knowledge to assist maternity services develop localised pathways that encourage...
Published research Aboriginal Health Aboriginal Maternal Health & Child DevelopmentJanuary 2013Women’s Views of their Maternity Services Experience
The following sections of this report result from a project undertaken to develop a theoretically-framed survey tool for use in monitoring and evaluating...
Published researchJanuary 2010Antenatal services for Aboriginal women: the relevance of cultural competence
Due to persistent significantly poorer Aboriginal perinatal outcomes, the Women's and Newborns' Health Network, require a comprehensive appraisal...
Published research Aboriginal Health Aboriginal Maternal Health & Child Development -
Education and Qualifications
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Awards/Honours