Partnering in the Health Consumers Queensland Forum.

This community awareness building project partnered with Health Consumers Queensland on their annual Forum – to educate and engage with highly engaged health consumers.

Genomics is a highly specialised and rapidly evolving area – for the health system and for clinicians, health researchers and health consumers.

Globally, health systems face challenges associated with population growth, an ageing population, and more complex health needs. Queensland Health has begun a transformation program to find better ways to deliver sustainable health care to Queenslanders.

Informed and engaged health consumers are a critical element to that transformation.

Health Consumers Queensland is the Queensland Health funded peak body for reaching, educating and systematically engaging health consumers in Queensland.

They hold an annual forum which brings together 200-300 health consumers, community engagement practitioners and clinicians each year.

Queensland Genomics partnered with Health Consumers Queensland by sponsoring the event in 2018, 2019 (Unfortunately the 2020 event was cancelled due to COVID-19). At the events, Queensland Genomics held information sessions, panel discussions, information booths, and audience surveys – all with the goal of educating and engaging Queensland’s community of health consumers.

You can read more about how the audience surveys are currently being developed into a research paper on health consumer knowledge of the potential for genomics in healthcare here.

Project Investigators

Project leaders engage with and draw upon the expertise of partners within universities, research institutes and hospital and health services around Queensland.

Dr Erin Evans, Health Consumers Queensland; Queensland Genomics Community Group

Dr Aideen McInerney-Leo, Genetic Counsellor and Post-doctoral Researcher; Queensland Genomics Community Group

Mr Greg Pratt, Manager of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research – QIMR Berghofer; Queensland Genomics Community Group

Mr Gary Hondow, Regional/rural health consumer and carer; Founder of ‘Special Needs Kids, Australia’; Queensland Genomics Community Group

Mr Satrio Nindyo (Tiko) Istiko, Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) health consumer living with a chronic health condition; Team Leader – Queensland Positive People; Queensland Genomics Community Group

Dr Lindsay Fowles, Genetic Counsellor; Queensland Genomics Community Group

Dr Nic Waddell, Group Leader – Medical Genomics, QIMR Berghofer; Queensland Genomics Community Group

Kate Sullivan, Queensland Genomics

Katrina Cutler, Queensland Genomics; Queensland Genomics Community Group