Email: gunatillake.t@unimelb.edu.au
Research areas:
- Aboriginal Health
- Osteoarthritis
- Community Engagement
- Joint pain
Institute/Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne
Dr Tilini Gunatillake
PhD; BSc (Hons)
Tilini is a research fellow working in the ECCO stream of the OPUS CRE, which focuses on providing equitable, culturally secure osteoarthritis care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Tilini engages with local Aboriginal communities and organisations on behalf of ECCO to build meaningful partnerships. By understanding how Aboriginal Australians perceive their health and drawing on their knowledge of the disease, she endeavours to develop an approach better suited for Aboriginal Australians to access culturally secure osteoarthritis care.
Tilini also works for St Vincent’s Health Australia, under the leadership of Professor Gail Garvey. Her role involves assisting in the development and implementation of an Aboriginal health research strategy across the entire organization and assisting in building up capacity of Aboriginal staff to carry out research. Tilini is passionate about social and health justice, and also embedding the voice of the community and consumers in the research process.
GRANTS
Research Endowment Grant for The ‘in-patient’ study: exploring the knowledge and understanding of osteoarthritis in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander patients admitted at SVHM ($16,938)
OTHER KEY ROLES
OPUS Consumer and Community Advisory Group: Liaison Officer