Leading Mater researcher Associate Professor Kym Rae has been promoted by The University of Queensland to the rank of Professor in recognition of her work in improving maternal and infant health outcomes in First Nations communities.
This promotion reflects the excellence of her research as well as its real-time, real-world impacts.
Maternal health has been identified as a critical national research priority by First Nations communities, and Prof Rae is passionate about walking hand in hand with communities to improve outcomes for families and to create generational change.
In 2020, she joined Mater Research as the Indigenous Health Research Group Leader, growing partnerships with the Aboriginal community-controlled health sector across Queensland.
In 2023, Prof Rae was the recipient of a $4.7million NHMRC Clinical Trial and Cohort Scheme grant—the single largest grant ever received by Mater Research—for the Strong Families Study (SFS), which aims to make generational change for First Nations families.
Prof Rae and her team have spent two years collaborating with more than 400 First Nations people from across the state to identify key healthcare needs of families during pregnancy and in the first few years of parenting as part of the preliminary work for the SFS.
The Strong Families Study, which has been codesigned with 30 Indigenous Steering Committee members, is a longitudinal study that will implement two key health interventions to help combat key healthcare issues: enabling parents to self-refer to social and mental wellbeing support; and identifying children at risk of poor neurodevelopmental outcomes such as cerebral palsy for referral to physiotherapists and other health professionals.
During her academic career, Prof Rae has been a contributing Chief Investigator on grant funds totaling $14,356,950, with $7,488,310 attained since her appointment to Mater Research.
Prof Rae was working as a high school teacher in 2007 when she completed her PhD in the area of reproductive physiology, with an initial focus on predicting the onset of labour in women and reducing premature and low birth weight deliveries in First Nations communities.
Mater Research Executive Director Professor Maher Gandhi congratulated Prof Rae on her achievement.
“Kym is an outstanding researcher whose work is making real changes to the lives of Queenslanders,” Prof Gandhi said.
“We are all incredibly proud of this milestone for her and look forward to seeing her ongoing work in this space.”
