Our Work with Refugee and Migrant Background Communities

The Refugee and Migrant Health Program at MCRI was established in 2012. The program is auspiced by the Intergenerational Health group in partnership with Foundation House.

Timeline of projects in our Refugee and Migrant Health Program

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Read more about some of our current projects

Working Together to Make Pregnancy Safer

Bridging the Gap

Strong Families Strong Babies

Group Pregnancy Care

Group Pregnancy Care

Listening to What Matters

Listening to What Matters

Our Partnerships

Partnerships with health services, refugee and migrant communities and organisations that work with refugee and migrant communities are integral to our work with communities.

Experiences of perinatal care during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

The Listening to What Matters study provided unique insights into the experiences of women of refugee background accessing pregnancy and early childhood healthcare in the north west regions of Melbourne in 2020.

 

Our Team

Rowena Coe

Rowena Coe

Shogoufa Hydari

Shogoufa Hydari

Elisha Riggs

Elisha Riggs

Maryaan Essa

Maryaan Essa

Laura Biggs

Laura Biggs

Kelly FitzPatrick

Kelly FitzPatrick

RoSangLian Thangaw

RoSangLian Thangaw

Stephanie Brown

Stephanie Brown

Fran Hearn

Fran Hearn

Shadow Toke

Shadow Toke

Akuc Deng

James Mayen

James Mayen

Where can I read more?

  • Having a Say in Research Directions: The Role of Community Researchers in Participatory Research with Communities of Refugee and Migrant Background

    Hearn F, Biggs L, Brown S,.. Riggs E. Int J Environ Res, 2022;19(8).

    Read full text

  • Trauma-Informed Care and Equity in Group Pregnancy Care for Women of Refugee Background: Reflections from the Workforce

    Hearn F, Biggs LJ, Brown SJ, Krastev A, Szwarc J, Riggs E. Trauma Care. 2023, 3(3):161-176

    Read full text

  • Compromised communication: a qualitative study exploring Afghan families and health professionals' experience of interpreting support in Australian maternity care

    Yelland J, Riggs E, Szwarc J, Casey S, Duell-Piening P, Chesters D, Wahidi S, Fouladi F, Brown S. BMJ Qual Saf, 2016;25(4):e1.

    Read full text

  • Bridging the language gap: a co-designed quality improvement project to engage professional interpreters for women during labour

    Yelland J, Biro MA, Dawson W, Riggs E, Vanpraag D, Wigg K, Antonopoulos J, Morgans J, Szwarc J, East C, Brown S. Aust Health Rev. 2017 Oct;41(5):499-504.

    Read more

  • How do Australian maternity and early childhood health services identify and respond to the settlement experience and social context of refugee background families?

    Yelland J, Riggs E, Wahidi S, Fouladi F, Casey S, Szwarc J, Duell-Piening P, Chesters D, Brown S. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2014 Oct 6;14:348.

    Read full text

  • Improving the ascertainment of refugee-background people in health datasets and health services

    Yelland J, Riggs R, Szwarc J, Vanpraag D, Dawson W, Brown S. Aust Health Rev. 2018 Apr;42(2):130-133.

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  • Cultural safety and belonging for refugee background women attending group pregnancy care: An Australian qualitative study

    Riggs E, Muyeen S, Brown B, Dawson W, Petschel P, Tardiff W, Norman F, Vanpraag D, Szwarc J, Yelland J. Birth. 2017;44(2):145-152.

    Read more

  • Group Pregnancy Care for refugee background women: a codesigned, multimethod evaluation protocol applying a community engagement framework and an interrupted time series design

    Riggs E, Yelland J, Mensah FK, Gold L, Szwarc J, Kaplan I, Small R, Middleton P, Krastev A, McDonald E, East C, Homer C, Nesvadba N, Biggs L, Braithwaite J, Brown SJ. BMJ Open. 2021;11(7):e048271.

    Read full text

Who can I contact for more information?

Elisha Riggs
Stephanie Brown