Associate Professor
Deb Duthie
Faculty of Health,
School of Public Health & Social Work
Wakka Wakka Warumungu
Biography
Deb is a Wakka Wakka Warumungu woman with family ties to Cherbourg Queensland and Tennant Creek Northern Territory. She is the Director of Indigenous Health (Faculty of Health) and an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health and Social Work (Faculty of Health) . She was previously was the Senior Lecturer and Academic Advisor at QUT's Oodgeroo Unit (Indigenous Student Support). Deb co-developed, coordinates and lectures in QUT’s first Indigenous Knowledges Minor. The Indigenous Knowledges Minor consists of four units and covers topics such as Indigenous politics; Cultural safety; Representations of Indigenous peoples; and Indigenous research ethics and protocols. Deb has also lectured in the QUT School of Social Work and Human Services since 2002 in a range of social work and human services practice units and developed and coordinated two specific social work and human services units directly addressing Aboriginal and Torres Strait practice: The Socio-Cultural Context of Professional Practice unit (Masters of Social Work), the Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities unit (Undergraduate) and more recently, Health Needs of Indigenous Australians in the School of Public Health. For the past 8 years, Deb has successfully coordinated the Cherbourg-QUT Project whereby transdisciplinary student teams collaborate with Industry partners on Aboriginal Community-initiated projects using a participatory action research framework. In a practice context, Deb has 10 years’ experience working in the domestic and family violence sector and with families experiencing homelessness. Deb completed her PhD – Reinvigorating the domestic violence sector: Systemically addressing power, conflict and practitioner turnover in the domestic violence sector - in 2012. Deb has been awarded the QUT Vice Chancellors Excellence Award for the Cherbourg-QUT Project (2014), the Australian Award for University Teaching (2016), the David Gardener Teacher of the Year Award (2018) and the Australian Technology Network Learning and Teaching Excellence Award (2018) and Australian Award for University Teaching Award for Community Engagement (2019) for her work in teaching Indigenous Knowledges and Studies; the Innovation and Creative Practice Excellence Award for the Indigenous Conversation Series (2021); and the Inclusion and Diversity Excellence Award for Cultural Safety and Indigenous Issues School Champion (2021).Research interests
- Cultural Safety in social work and human services practice
- Embedding Indigenous Knowledges in tertiary curriculum
- Food Sovereignty
- Social issues impacting on Aboriginal self-determination
- Domestic and family violence.
Personal details
Positions
- Associate Professor
Faculty of Health,
School of Public Health & Social Work
Keywords
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, Recruitment and retention, Domestic Violence sector, Workplace bullying and harassment, Social Work practice
Research field
Cultural Studies, Social Work
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008
Qualifications
- Reinvigorating the Domestic Violence Sector (Queensland University of Technology)
- Bachelor of Social Science (Human Services) (Queensland University of Technology)
Professional memberships and associations
Indigenous Allied Health Australia (Affiliate)
National Indigenous Research and Knowledges Network (NIRAKN) Chief Investigator
Australian New Zealand Social Work and Welfare Education and Research (ANZSWWER) Member
Teaching
Public Health
- HLB001 Health Needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians
Indigenous Knowledges Minor
- Smash the Act: Contemporary Indigenous Politics
- Yadtjuligin: Cultural Safety in the Indigenous Australian Context
- Am I Black Enough? Indigenous Australian Representation
- Indigenous Knowledges: Research Ethics and Protocols
Social Work and Human Services
- Socio-cultural Contexts of Professional Practice (Master of Social Work)
- Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities
- Casework and Case Management
- Practice Theories
- Team Practice and Group Processes
- Child and Family
The Cherbourg-QUT Project This project engages students from across all disciplines at QUT to support community-initiated projects within the Cherbourg Aboriginal Community. Projects have included the development of a Youth Council specific to Cherbourg Young People; writing of policy and procedures; resourcing the Indigenous Knowledge Centre; Landscape design; Informing Business start-ups; and recording of Elders stories.
Publications
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Deb, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2018
- Details
- David Gardiner Teacher of the Year Award
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Vice Chancellors Award for Excellence: The Cherbourg-QUT Project Team Faculty of Health, Faculty of Law, Science and Engineering Faculty, Chancellery, Faculty of Law Dr Debbie Duthie, Dr Philip Crane, Catherine Campbell, Anne Spencer, Dr Paul Donehue, Dr Jodi Death Innovative and creative practice, Learning and teaching, Partnerships and engagement
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2015
- Details
- Australian Awards for Academic Teaching: For inspiring and transformative teaching of Indigenous Studies to social work and human services students to prepare them for culturally safe practiceThis award acknowledges Deb Duthie's inspiring and transformative teaching of Indigenous Studies to social work and human services students to prepare them for culturally safe practice. For social work and human services students to undertake effective culturally safe practice with Indigenous peoples, the design and delivery of Indigenous Studies must be conducted within an environment that engenders 'open' discussion to overcome unconscious and unexamined perceptions. Debs blended teaching approaches foster such open discussion in 'safe' learning environments, in the classroom, online and through field experiences in Aboriginal communities. The recognition of teaching excellence in this area influences social work and human services higher education programs in designing learning and teaching
- Type
- Reviewer for an Academic Journal
- Reference year
- 2021
- Details
- Australian Social Work is an international peer-reviewed journal reflecting current thinking and trends in Social Work. The Journal promotes the development of practice, policy and education, and publishes original research, theoretical papers and critical reviews that build on existing knowledge. The Journal also publishes reviews of relevant professional literature, commentary and analysis of social policies and encourages debate in the form of reader commentary on articles.
- Type
- Reviewer for an Academic Journal
- Reference year
- 2020
- Details
- Australian Social Work is an international peer-reviewed journal reflecting current thinking and trends in Social Work. The Journal promotes the development of practice, policy and education, and publishes original research, theoretical papers and critical reviews that build on existing knowledge. The Journal also publishes reviews of relevant professional literature, commentary and analysis of social policies and encourages debate in the form of reader commentary on articles.
- Type
- Reviewer for an Academic Journal
- Reference year
- 2014
- Details
- The Action Learning Action Research Journal (ALARj) publishes articles that describe and analyse the use of action learning and action research approaches to social and organisational change. ALARj is intended to recognise practitioners from a great variety of backgrounds: community, business, government, scholarship and advocacy and encourage both action learning and action research methodologies in a range of disciplines. In so doing ALARj actively encourages multi-disciplinary, trans-disciplinary, Indigenous and new paradigm frameworks of understanding in the writing and the practices of the field where those practices progress our vision.
- Type
- Reviewer for an Academic Journal
- Reference year
- 2014
- Details
- Communities, Children and Families Australia is a new journal developed by the Australian College for Child and Family Protection Practitioners. The main purpose of the journal is to encourage thinking and reflection beyond current models of child protection policy and practice.