Gracelyn Smallwood (born 1951) is a professor of nursing and midwifery at

Central Queensland University Central Queensland University (branded as CQUniversity) is an Australian public university based in central Queensland. CQUniversity is the only Australian university with a campus presence in every mainland state. Its main campus is at Norman ...

. She is an

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia 50,000 to 65,000 year ...

of Biri descent.

Early life

Smallwood was born in 1951 in

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, of Biri descent.

Nursing career

Smallwood trained in general nursing, midwifery and psychiatric nursing at the

Townsville Hospital Townsville University Hospital (TUH), formerly The Townsville Hospital (TTH), is a public tertiary care hospital on Angus Smith Drive, Douglas, Queensland, Douglas, Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It is the largest facility within the Townsv ...

. She was the first

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

to be awarded a Masters of Science in

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

from

James Cook University James Cook University (JCU) is a public university in North Queensland, Australia. The second oldest university in Queensland, JCU is a teaching and research institution. The university's main campuses are located in the tropical cities of Cair ...

. In 2016, she was appointed Professor of Nursing and Midwifery at Central Queensland University.

Other roles

Smallwood has been an advocate for the rights of

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

people since 1968. On 15 January 2020, it was announced that Smallwood would be one of the members of the National Co-design Group of the Indigenous voice to government.

Honours

Awards and honours include: *Queensland Aboriginal of the Year in 1986 * Henry Kempe Memorial Award at the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect in 1994 *

Deadly Award The Deadly Awards, formally titled National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music, Sport, Arts and Community Awards and commonly known simply as The Deadlys, was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ac ...

for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement in Indigenous Health in 2007 * NAIDOC Person of the Year in 2014 *Member of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

in 1992, for her service to Aboriginal Health and Welfare, and to public health, particularly

HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

Published works

* * *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smallwood, Gracelyn Indigenous Australian academics Australian women academics Living people 1951 births Indigenous Australian women academics People from Townsville Academic staff of Central Queensland University James Cook University alumni Indigenous Australian scientists 21st-century Australian scientists Australian nurses Australian women nurses Australian women scientists