Empowering Nutrition Outcomes in Victorian Aboriginal Communities  

13 November 2020 at 12-1pm (Canberra/Sydney/Melbourne, AEDT)

This webinar is brought to you by the DA Education Centre (2020) and is part of our NAIDOC Week celebration. 

The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) is the peak body for Aboriginal health and wellbeing in Victoria and champions community control and health equality for Aboriginal Communities. 

In this webinar, Public Health Nutritionists, Amy Rossignoli and Brittney Johnson will present Community-led initiatives and VACCHO's evidence-based research and best practice to achieve positive health outcomes for Victorian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Key focus areas include: 

• Koori maternal and child health
• Food security and healthy environments
• Culturally safe approaches for working in Aboriginal Health 

Speakers: 

Amy Rossignoli (BHS-Nut, MHN) is a Public Health Nutritionist with 15 years in the Prevention and Not-For-Profit industry. Amy holds a Master of Human Nutrition and Bachelor of Health Science - Clinical Nutrition, she is a member of the Nutrition Society of Australia and co-author of Healthy eating in the National Quality Standard. Skilled in Population-Health Project Management, Nutrition Policy, Nutrition Education and Stakeholder Engagement, Amy has helped hundreds of organisations to provide healthier eating and learning environments for Victorian children and families through her work at Nutrition Australia and the Victorian Government's Healthy Eating Advisory Service. Passionate about food literacy and social justice, Amy joined the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation in 2019 and co-leads the Statewide Nutrition and Physical Activity Strategy team. Working in Aboriginal health and learning from First Nations peoples diverse and dynamic cultures has enriched Amy's approach to nutrition and deepened her respect for traditional knowledge, self-determination and Community control. 

Brittney Johnson (BNutDiet, GradCertPublicHlth) has studied a Bachelor's Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, where her interest for public health nutrition was sparked. She went on to work in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory as the Health and Nutrition Manager for the Arnhem Land Progress Aboriginal Corporation (ALPA). In this role, Brittney provided nutrition education and mentoring to Aboriginal Community members while supporting remote retail stores to implement ALPA's health and nutrition strategy. She has since completed a Graduate Certificate of Public Health and currently works at the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) as a Public Health Nutritionist. Her favourite part of working in the Nutrition team at VACCHO is learning from the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation's that she supports. Brittney says, 'Community control is an inspiring healthcare model and there is so much great work that comes out of it.'

Amanda Cole is the Optimal Infant Nutrition Project Manager at Apunipima Cape York Health Council in Far North Queensland. Amanda graduated in 2015 and has worked in remote communities in the Kimberley in WA and now in Cape York communities in QLD. Amanda is the Convenor of the Indigenous Nutrition Interest Group and is passionate about strengths-based approaches in nutrition and dietetic practice. 

This webinar is worth 1 CPD hour. 

Webinar access details will be sent out via email on 12 November 2020. The webinar recording will be emailed to registrants in the days following the live event.