Kate Smith

Dr. Kate Smith is an Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health (CAMDH), part of the UWA Medical School at the University of Western Australia. Her research focuses on Aboriginal ageing well, co-designing culturally safe health assessments and aged care models. She leads initiatives like the KICA project for dementia detection and the DAMPAA program for dementia risk management. Dr. Smith holds leadership roles in national research centers, including the National Good Spirit Good Life Centre for Research Excellence and the OnTrack CRE in Indigenous Dementia.

Education: PhD in Health Sciences from the University of Western Australia (2009). Research interests include dementia, aged care, cognitive assessment, and Indigenous health equity. She advocates for policy reforms and sits on national advisory panels like NAGATSIAC and the AIHW Dementia Expert Advisory Panel.

Awards: 2023 Vice Chancellor's Award for Collaborative Indigenous Research Partnerships. Over $30 million in grants, including projects on dementia risk reduction and culturally adapted health tools.

Supervision: Currently guiding 4 Aboriginal postgraduate students in health research. Established support models to boost Aboriginal student enrollment in UWA's health programs.

Labs/Teams: CAMDH Aboriginal Ageing Well team. Collaborates internationally through the AMICA study in the US and the International Indigenous Dementia Network.