Sian Graham

Senior Research Officer & Chair of the Diabetes Across the Lifecourse; Northern Australian Partnership - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group

Qualifications:

Bachelor of Applied Science (Indigenous Community Health) Honours, Curtin University, Perth (2018, paused due to parental leave, enrolled 2023); Bachelor of Applied Science (Indigenous Community Health), Curtin University, Perth, 2016-2018

Location:

Darwin - JMB (Royal Darwin Hospital Campus)

Biography:

Sian Graham is an Bardi-Jawi and Noongar woman from One Arm Point in the Kimberley and the Balladong region of Western Australia. Sian has lived and worked in remote communities throughout the Northern Territory and Western Australia. 

She has worked at Menzies School of Health Research for 14 years and has led research across several divisions. During this time, Sian has been able to connect with participants and communities to build strong relationships based on trust and respect.  

Sian is the lead Aboriginal researcher of the Diabetes Across the Lifecourse; Northern Australian Partnership, who founded and Chairs the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group. She has grown and sustained this highly successful group for 7 years. She has continuously invested in research capacity and leadership and her work has highlighted the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Governance within research and why Governance is a mechanism for action. 

Sian is dedicated and committed to working towards improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and believes it is her responsibility as an Aboriginal researcher to advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their rights within research. 

Sian strongly believes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people must play an imperative role in research, and we need to work together collaboratively to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have an opportunity to provide input into the direction of our research and create platforms for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander to have a voice within research.  
 

Sian Graham
Email
Research Themes
  1. MEDIA RELEASE | Global study highlights Menzies’ program as a leading example of diabetes best practice

    MEDIA RELEASE | Global study highlights Menzies’ program as a leading example of diabetes best practice

    Date

    A series looking at how structural racism and global inequity affect diabetes has highlighted an Australian diabetes program as an example of best practice to address the issue.

  2. MEDIA RELEASE | Menzies’ researchers contribute to global studies on structural racism’s impact on unequal diabetes cases and care

    MEDIA RELEASE | Menzies’ researchers contribute to global studies on structural racism’s impact on unequal diabetes cases and care

    Date

    A new series on diabetes research published in The Lancet and The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journals has found diabetes is pervasive, growing in prevalence and outpacing most diseases globally.

  3. MEDIA RELEASE | Menzies takes the stand to address the diabetes epidemic

    MEDIA RELEASE | Menzies takes the stand to address the diabetes epidemic

    Date

    Increasing access to healthcare, addressing the social determinants of health and having appropriate research and governance are priority areas for action.

Five most impactful publications: 
  1. Maple-Brown LJ, Graham S, McKee J, Wicklow B, Walking the path together: incorporating Indigenous knowledge in diabetes research, The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2020; 8(7), 559-560. doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(20)30188-1
  2. Wood A, Graham S, Boyle J, Marcusson B, Anderson S, Connors, McIntyre H, Maple-Brown LJ, Kirkham R, Incorporating Aboriginal women’s voices in improving care and reducing risk for women with diabetes in pregnancy - A phenomenological study, BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2021
  3. Kirkham R, King S, Graham S, Whitbread C, Boyle J, Skinner T, Rumbold A, Maple-Brown L, “’No sugar’, ‘no junk food’, ‘do more exercise’ – moving beyond simple messages to improve the health of Aboriginal women with Hyperglycaemia in Pregnancy in the Northern Territory – A phenomenological study”. Women and Birth 2020, doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2020.10.003
  4. Titmuss A, Davis E, O’Donnell V, Wenitong M, Barr E, Boffa J, Brown ADH, Connors C, Corpus S, Dowler J, Graham S, Griffiths E, Kirkham R, Lee C, Moore E, Pearson G, Shaw JE, Singleton S, Sinha A, White G, Zimmet P, Maple-Brown L*, Hayes E* on behalf of the Hot North Diabetes in Youth Collaboration group, Youth-onset type 2 diabetes among First Nations young people in northern Australia: a retrospective, cross-sectional study, Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2021, doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(21)00286-2. (*authors contributed equally) 
  5. Wood A, Boyle J, Barr E, Barzi F, Hare M, Titmuss A, Longmore D, Death E, Kelaart J, Kirkwood M, Graham S, Connors C, Moore E, O’Dea K, Oats J, McIntyre H, Zimmet P, X Lu Z, Brown A, Shaw J, Maple-Brown L, Type 2 diabetes after a pregnancy with gestational diabetes among First Nations women in Australia: the PANDORA study, Diabetes Research & Clinical Practice 2021. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2021 Nov;181:109092.doi:10.1016/j.diabres.2021.109092. Epub 2021 Oct 13.
Other Publications:
  1. Maple-Brown L, Lee I, Longmore D, Barzi F, Connors C, Boyle JA, Moore E, Whitbread C, Kirkwood M, Graham S, Hampton V, Simmonds A, Van Dokkum P, Kelaart J, Thomas S, Chitturi S, Eades S, Corpus S, Lynch M, Lu ZX, O'Dea K, Zimmet P, Oats J, McIntyre HD, Brown ADH, Shaw JE. Pregnancy and Neonatal Diabetes Outcomes in Remote Australia: The PANDORA Study, an observational birth cohort. International Journal of Epidemiology, 2019. 48(1):307-318.
  2. Longmore D, Barr E, Lee I, Barzi F, Kirkwood M, Whitbread C, Hampton V, Graham S, Van Dokkum P, Connors C, Boyle J, Catalano P, Brown A, O'Dea K, Oats J, McIntyre D, Shaw J, Maple‐Brown L. Maternal body mass index, excess gestational weight gain, and diabetes are positively associated with neonatal adiposity in the Pregnancy and Neonatal Diabetes Outcomes in Remote Australia (PANDORA) study. Paediatric Obesity, 2019;14:e12490. doi: 10.1111/ijpo.12490. 
  3. Kirkham R, MacKay D, Bazi F, Whitbread C, Kirkwood M, Graham S, Van Dokkum P, McIntyre D, Shaw J, Brown A, O’Dea K, Connors C, Oats J, Zimmett P, Boyle J, Maple-Brown L. Improving maternal health after diabetes in pregnancy: results of a pilot study in remote Australia. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2018 Oct 02. doi:10.1111/ajo.12894. [Epub ahead of print]
  4. Lee I, Purbrick B, Barzi F, Brown A, Connors C, Whitbread C, Moore E, Kirkwood M, Simmonds A, Van Dokkum P, Death E, Svenson S, Graham S, Hampton V, Kelaart J, Longmore D, Titmuss A, Boyle J, Brimblecombe J, Saffery R, d'Aprano A, Skilton MR, Ward LC, Corpus S, Chitturi S, Thomas S, Eades S, Inglis C, Dempsey K, Dowden M, Lynch M, Oats J, McIntyre D, Zimmet P, O'Dea K, Shaw J, Maple-Brown L. Cohort Profile: The Pregnancy and Neonatal Outcomes in Remote Australia (PANDORA) Study. International Journal of Epidemiology, 2018. 47(4):1045-1046h.