Research Fellow
Overview
Dr Penny Haora (Ngāti Pūkenga, Ngāti Māhanga) is a Research Fellow in the UQ Poche Centre for Indigenous Health.
Penny researches innovations and system transformation for better maternity care with a focus on First Nations families. She uses qualitative, mixed methods, community-based participatory, and realist approaches. As a First Nations Maori researcher, Penny is learning Kaupapa Maori and Indigenist research approaches and works to see the revaluing of Indigenous knowledges and science. The overall aim of her research is to support healthy families through better births. She does this by conducting and facilitating research that places the lived experiences of mums and bubs, families and community front and centre.
Penny aims for her work to incentivise action to address entrenched inequities in maternity care, such as care quality/safety (including cultural safety) and access. She has worked in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community organisations, internationally with remote communities and in post-conflict settings with local and international non-government organisations, and within diverse organisational contexts.
Penny is leading projects with a view to better understanding and evaluating First Nations-led maternity and family care and wellbeing. From 2019 to 2022, she managed the Building on Our Strengths (BOOSt) project based on the beautiful Lands of the Yuin Nation (NSW) embedded with Waminda South Coast Aboriginal Women’s Health and Wellbeing Organisation. Penny completed a Doctor of Philosophy in 2013 enrolled at the ANU working on a project based in Thailand. Her Master of Public Health research was undertaken in Rasuwa District, Nepal, and she has around six years of experience working in research/evaluation/management and clinical roles in Thailand, Nepal, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Papua New Guinea.
Penny is available to supervise PhD students, Honours and Master of Public Health projects.
Research Interests
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Inter-Indigenous, Kaupapa Māori & Indigenist research approaches
Specifically First Nations narrative (story) approaches; decolonising, antiracist, trauma/healing-informed research praxis. Indigenous Cultural & Intellectual property (ICIP) -
Decolonisation of maternity care & academia
Strengths-focused First Nations-led maternity/family/child/reproductive health care (and various components of e.g. Indigenous Family Support Practitioners, Deadly Dads etc). First Nations midwifery workforce and decolonising midwifery (education, practice, research, regulation, association) and maternity care. Countering racism and discrimination in maternity care with Connectedness. -
Realist approaches
Realist Evaluation and Realist Synthesis - Qualitative research methods
- Implementation Science and Knowledge Translation (KT) in maternity care/First Nations maternity care
Research Impacts
My research has impact at many levels including influencing policy, health services decision making, maternity care improvements, better outcomes and experiences of care to support the health and wellbeing of women and families.
Qualifications
- Member, Australian College of Midwifery Incorporated, Australian College of Midwifery Incorporated
- Doctor of Philosophy of Public Health and Health Services, Australian National University
- Masters (Coursework) of Public Health and Health Services, University of New South Wales
- Graduate Diploma in Midwifery, University of Western Sydney
Publications
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Journal Article: Enabling the context for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Birthing on Country services: Participatory action research
Roe, Yvette, Allen, Jyai, Haora, Penny, Hickey, Sophie, Briggs, Melanie, Wilkes, Liz, Nelson, Carmel, Watego, Kristie, Coddington, Rebecca, Ireland, Sarah, Kruske, Sue, Gao, Yu and Kildea, Sue (2023). Enabling the context for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Birthing on Country services: Participatory action research. Women and Birth, 37 (2), 368-378. doi: 10.1016/j.wombi.2023.11.007
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Haora, Penny, Roe, Yvette, Hickey, Sophie, Gao, Yu, Nelson, Carmel, Allen, Jyai, Briggs, Melanie, Worner, Faye, Kruske, Sue, Watego, Kristie, Maidment, Sarah-Jade, Hartz, Donna, Sherwood, Juanita, Barclay, Lesley, Tracy, Sally, Tracy, Mark, Wilkes, Liz, West, Roianne, Grant, Nerida and Kildea, Sue (2023). Developing and evaluating Birthing on Country services for First Nations Australians: the Building On Our Strengths (BOOSt) prospective mixed methods birth cohort study protocol. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 23 (1) 77, 1-17. doi: 10.1186/s12884-022-05277-8
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Conference Publication: Experiences of First Nations women responding to life stressors who access perinatal care at Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs): an integrative literature review
Grant, Nerida, Haora, Penny, Kruske, Sue and Hartz, Donna (2022). Experiences of First Nations women responding to life stressors who access perinatal care at Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs): an integrative literature review. Australian College of Midwives National Conference - Together at the Top, Cairns, QLD Australia, 13-15 September 2022. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.wombi.2022.07.089
Available Projects
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Birthing in Our Community
Projects associated with research/evaluation of this maternity care program designed and run by the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health
Publications
Book Chapter
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Haora, Penny (2020). Learning through reflection—enhancing culturally proficient learning communities in midwifery practice and education: an experience-based learning journey in London, UK. Cultural competence and the higher education sector: Australian perspectives, policies and practice. (pp. 309-330) edited by Jack Frawley, Gabrielle Russell and Juanita Sherwood. Singapore, Singapore: Springer Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-15-5362-2_17
Journal Article
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Roe, Yvette, Allen, Jyai, Haora, Penny, Hickey, Sophie, Briggs, Melanie, Wilkes, Liz, Nelson, Carmel, Watego, Kristie, Coddington, Rebecca, Ireland, Sarah, Kruske, Sue, Gao, Yu and Kildea, Sue (2023). Enabling the context for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Birthing on Country services: Participatory action research. Women and Birth, 37 (2), 368-378. doi: 10.1016/j.wombi.2023.11.007
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Haora, Penny, Roe, Yvette, Hickey, Sophie, Gao, Yu, Nelson, Carmel, Allen, Jyai, Briggs, Melanie, Worner, Faye, Kruske, Sue, Watego, Kristie, Maidment, Sarah-Jade, Hartz, Donna, Sherwood, Juanita, Barclay, Lesley, Tracy, Sally, Tracy, Mark, Wilkes, Liz, West, Roianne, Grant, Nerida and Kildea, Sue (2023). Developing and evaluating Birthing on Country services for First Nations Australians: the Building On Our Strengths (BOOSt) prospective mixed methods birth cohort study protocol. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 23 (1) 77, 1-17. doi: 10.1186/s12884-022-05277-8
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Hickey, Sophie, Roe, Yvette, Ireland, Sarah, Kildea, Sue, Haora, Penny, Gao, Yu, Maypilama, Elaine Läwurrpa, Kruske, Sue, Campbell, Sandy, Moore, Suzanne, Maidment, Sarah-Jade, Heinemann, Kayla, Hartz, Donna, Adcock, Anna, Storey, Francesca, Bennett, Matthew, Lambert, Charles, Sibanda, Nokuthaba, Lawton, Beverley, Cram, Fiona, Stevenson, Kendall, Lavoie, Josée, Edmonds, Liza, Geller, Stacie, Bourrassa, Carrie, Smylie, Janet, Van Wagner, Vicki, Bourgeois, Cheryllee, Dion Fletcher, Claire ... Sherwood, Juanita (2021). A call for action that cannot go to voicemail: Research activism to urgently improve Indigenous perinatal health and wellbeing. Women and Birth, 34 (4), 303-305. doi: 10.1016/j.wombi.2021.03.011
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Hunter, Louise J., Da Motta, Giordana, McCourt, Christine, Wiseman, Octavia, Rayment, Juliet L., Haora, Penny, Wiggins, Meg and Harden, Angela (2019). Better together: a qualitative exploration of women's perceptions and experiences of group antenatal care. Women and Birth, 32 (4), 336-345. doi: 10.1016/j.wombi.2018.09.001
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Wiggins, Meg, Sawtell, Mary, Wiseman, Octavia, McCourt, Christine, Greenberg, Lauren, Hunter, Rachael, Eldridge, Sandra, Haora, Penny, Kaur, Inderjeet and Harden, Angela (2018). Testing the effectiveness of REACH Pregnancy Circles group antenatal care: protocol for a randomised controlled pilot trial. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 4 (1) 169, 1-13. doi: 10.1186/s40814-018-0361-x
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Hunter, Louise, Da Motta, Giordana, McCourt, Christine, Wiseman, Octavia, Rayment, Juliet, Haora, Penny, Wiggins, Meg and Harden, Angela (2018). `It makes sense and it works': Maternity care providers' perspectives on the feasibility of a group antenatal care model (Pregnancy Circles). Midwifery, 66, 56-63. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2018.07.016
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"Continuity of care" experiences in midwifery education: Perspectives from diverse stakeholders
Browne, Jenny, Haora, Penny J., Taylor, Jan and Davis, Deborah L. (2014). "Continuity of care" experiences in midwifery education: Perspectives from diverse stakeholders. Nurse Education in Practice, 14 (5), 573-578. doi: 10.1016/j.nepr.2014.01.014
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Ward, Nathaniel J, Jowsey, Tanisha, Haora, Penny J, Aspin, Clive and Yen, Laurann E (2011). With good intentions: Complexity in unsolicited informal support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. A qualitative study. BMC Public Health, 11 686. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-11-686
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Birthing and the birthing transition in Thailand
Haora, P. and Thadakant, S. (2006). Birthing and the birthing transition in Thailand. International Midwifery, 19 (4), 60-61.
Conference Publication
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Grant, Nerida, Haora, Penny, Kruske, Sue and Hartz, Donna (2022). Experiences of First Nations women responding to life stressors who access perinatal care at Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs): an integrative literature review. Australian College of Midwives National Conference - Together at the Top, Cairns, QLD Australia, 13-15 September 2022. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.wombi.2022.07.089
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Maternal immunisation and midwifery: state of the evidence, and practice enhancement
Haora, Penny and Beard, Frank (2018). Maternal immunisation and midwifery: state of the evidence, and practice enhancement. Australian College of Midwives National Conference, Unknown, 2018. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.wombi.2018.08.115
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Maternal immunisation: state of the evidence and midwifery implications
Haora, Penny and Beard, Frank (2018). Maternal immunisation: state of the evidence and midwifery implications. Australian College of Midwives National Conference, Unknown, 2018. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.wombi.2018.08.105
Possible Research Projects
Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.
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Birthing in Our Community
Projects associated with research/evaluation of this maternity care program designed and run by the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health
