Rate My Professor Juanita Sherwood

Professor Juanita Sherwood, a proud Wiradjuri woman, is a registered nurse, teacher, lecturer, researcher, and manager with over 35 years of experience in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and education. At the University of Newcastle, she held the position of Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Education and Research), where she advanced cultural competence initiatives and Indigenous research methodologies. Sherwood obtained her PhD from the University of New South Wales, with her doctoral thesis titled 'Do no harm: Decolonising Aboriginal health research,' examining ethical decolonising practices in Aboriginal health studies. She also possesses a Diploma of Teaching and a Graduate Certificate in Research. Her academic career includes senior leadership roles such as Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous) at the University of Sydney and Academic Director of the National Centre for Cultural Competence.

Sherwood's research focuses on the effects of colonisation on Indigenous health, racism as a social determinant of wellbeing, intergenerational trauma, and the social, emotional, and physical health of incarcerated Aboriginal women. Key publications include 'Colonisation – It's bad for your health: The context of Aboriginal health' (Contemporary Nurse, 2013), 'Racism a Social Determinant of Indigenous Health: Yarning About the Connections Between Racist Discrimination and Wellbeing' (2020), 'Setting the Agenda for Cultural Competence at the University of Newcastle' (2017), 'Holistic Conceptualizations of Health by Incarcerated Aboriginal Women' (Qualitative Health Research, 2019), 'Aboriginal mothers in prison in Australia: a study of social, emotional and physical wellbeing' (Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 2019), and 'Recidivism, health and social functioning following release from prison of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people' (BMJ Open, 2019). Her scholarship has significantly influenced Indigenous health research, policy, and higher education practices promoting cultural safety and decolonised approaches.