Indigenous Engagement
The Indigenous Engagement team provides a culturally secure learning environment for Indigenous students in the Faculty of Health Sciences. We support students to grow and develop skills and knowledge, determine their own learning needs, and graduate with a strong sense of cultural and professional identity.
The Faculty would like to pay our respects to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of our community by acknowledging the Wadjuk people of the land on which Bentley Campus is located, and the Wongutha people of the North-Eastern Goldfields, where our Kalgoorlie Campus is located.

Student Support
The Indigenous Engagement team supports you with:
- navigating the transition to university
- accessing academic support and guidance
- advocating on your behalf to staff
- connecting with the Koorda Network.
Koorda Network
The Koorda Network comprises staff across the Faculty who have completed cultural security training workshops. These staff members include deputy heads of school and course coordinators who identify as Indigenous allies and can provide you with career guidance and additional support at the School level.
Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine
Pam Nichols (Lecturer)
Email: p.nichols@curtin.edu.au
Phone: +61 8 9266 2739
Location: Building 405 Room 421
Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology
Courtenay Harris (Deputy Head of School)
Email: c.harris@curtin.edu.au
Phone: +61 8 9266 3683
Location: Building 401 Room 234
Mary Claessen (Senior Lecturer)
Email: m.claessen@curtin.edu.au
Phone: +61 8 9266 3472
Location: Building 401 Room 349
Tina (Christina) Fernandes (Senior Lecture)
Email: c.fernandes@curtin.edu.au
Phone: +61 8 9266 7330
Location: Building 401 Room 228
Antonia Hendrick (Lecturer)
Email: a.hendrick@curtin.edu.au
Phone: +61 8 9266 2597
Location: Building 401 Room 374b
Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences
Magdy Elnashar (Senior Lecturer)
Email: magdy.elnashar@curtin.edu.au
Phone: NA
Location: Building 308 Room 209B
Physiotherapy and Exercise Therapy
Sharon Parry (Clinical Programs Coordinator)
Email: Sharon.parry@curtin.edu.au
Phone: +61 8 9266 3667
Location: Building 408 Room 3512
Psychology
Emily Castell (Senior Lecturer)
Email: emily.castell@curtin.edu.au
Phone: +61 8 9266 7633
Location: Building 401 Room 311
School of Public Health
Linda Portsmouth (Senior Lecturer)
Email: l.portsmouth@curtin.edu.au
Phone: +61 8 9266 4404
Location: Building 400 Room 453
Maria Chanmugam (Sessional Academic)
Email: maria.chanmugam@curtin.edu.au
Phone: +61 8 9266 7382
Location: Building 400 Room 470
Professional Networks
In order to address Close the Gap targets we need to build an Indigenous health workforce. We encourage our students to join one of the many professional Indigenous health networks. You can contact the Indigenous Engagement team to learn more about the organisations and the benefits of joining.
Associations include:
- Indigenous Allied Health Australia
- Australian Indigenous Doctors Association
- Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives
- National Association of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Physiotherapists
Admission pathways
There is more than one way to qualify for Curtin courses. Find out more about our different pathway options:
Research
The Indigenous Engagement team participates in and leads research activities that also create opportunities for local Aboriginal community groups to be involved in. Most recently, the Balang Djuripin project was a 2018 Curtin Innovations grant which enabled the Koorda Network to be established.
Curtin is proud to be widely recognised for its achievements in applied research and has a number of research focus areas in solving real-world problems. Some of these include:
- New mental health research draws wisdom from Aboriginal elders
- Big systems create challenges for Indigenous health
- Tomorrow’s Indigenous psychologists awarded inaugural scholarships
Contact our Indigenous Engagement team
Our office is located in building 400, level 2 (look for the Indigenous flags in the lobby).
Our staff:
Cheryl Davis, Director of Indigenous Engagement (Health Sciences)
Phone: +61 8 9266 4282
Email: Cheryl.Davis@curtin.edu.au
Kristy Indich, Indigenous Engagement Officer (Health Sciences)
Phone: +61 8 9266 2321
Email: kristy.indich@curtin.edu.au
Colin Phillips, Indigenous Engagement Officer (Health Sciences)
Phone: +61 8 9266 1009
Email: colin.phillips1@curtin.edu.au