Reakeeta Smallwood

Reakeeta Smallwood is a proud Gamilaroi woman and Senior Lecturer at the Susan Wakil Nursing and Midwifery School, University of Sydney. With a background in nursing through the NSW Health Aboriginal Cadetship program, she focuses on Indigenous research paradigms, historical trauma, and community-led health initiatives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

• PhD from University of Technology Sydney (UTS) on historical trauma and resilience in Aboriginal youth
• Recipient of Jumbunna Indigenous Postgraduate Scholarship (UTS)
• Advocate for Aboriginal knowledge systems in healthcare and research

Her research spans Indigenous health equity, strength-based approaches, cultural safety, and cardiovascular disease prevention. Recent projects include the Strait from the Heart cardiovascular initiative and the Fishheart river restoration collaboration with Barkindji Elders. She employs yarning, poetic inquiry, and arts-informed methods to center community voices.

Her 15 most recent publications (2025-2019) address historical trauma, stroke recovery, cultural safety, and cardiovascular health. Themes include qualitative research, Indigenous health equity, and decolonizing methodologies, with sub-fields focusing on Aboriginal youth, community-led interventions, and land-based healing.

• Jumbunna Postgraduate Research Scholarship (2020-2023)
• UTS Student Research Intensive Scheme (2023)

She mentors Aboriginal researchers and emphasizes co-learning, cultural determinants of health, and ethical practices. Her work intersects nursing, midwifery, and Indigenous policy, aiming to transform healthcare systems through Aboriginal-led praxis.