A new project, now in its pilot phase after 4 years of planning, has begun with the help of a group of research participants, paired with yarning, on-Country footage, local language and music, and a Deadly artwork by local Aboriginal artist Saretta Fielding, on the newly installed Siemens Healthineers MAGNETOM Cima.X Fit MRI scanner at the Hunter Medical Research Institute Imaging Centre.
Cultural safety for Aboriginal people in the research space is “the difference between being welcome somewhere and feeling very excluded” says Gamilaraay woman Dr Jennifer Rumbel
The Deadly Images project aims to transform the experience of scanning for research participants; too often, the team says, research was done on Indigenous communities rather than with them.
“If we’re not a part of that work, then we’re not going to be adequately represented when the research comes to translation, to having those translatable benefits coming back to patients,” fellow researcher and Wailwan man Dr Cameron says.
Each appointment includes a yarn, support throughout the scan, and a look at participants’ own results afterwards, supported throughout by Indigenous Imaging Fellow Lillian Langford. The project positions Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as genuine research partners, reflecting HMRI’s wider commitment to working alongside community.
NIF is proud to be partnering with HMRI and grateful for it hosting the upcoming NIF 2026 Annual Scientific meeting (29-31 July). Attendees and organisers are particularly looking forward to the community workshop Engaging and creating relationships with the Indigenous communities in research – yarning as methodology (29 July) and inaugural symposium session Imaging in First Peoples Community (30 July).
The HMRI team invites young Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people who want to take part or get more information to contact the team: Dr Jennifer Rumbel, jennifer.rumbel@newcastle.edu.au, 02 4055 3010; Lillian Langford, Lillian.langford@newcastle.edu.au; or participate-sng@newcastle.edu.au.