Abstract
The yarning that extended over 21 minutes features Indigenous academic Madison Shakespeare engaging in a detailed and candid conversation with Professor Alan Wigg about clinical trials involving First Nations cancer patients. This substantial yarn underscores the importance of truth-telling and transparency to ensure that trial participants, their carers, kin, and community fully understand the clinical trial processes and ethical frameworks. The film offers extended and valuable perspectives for First Nations communities on the culturally informed approaches Professor Wigg employs in clinical trials, emphasizing cultural safety, ethical accountability, and respectful partnership.
For researchers and healthcare clinicians, this yarn provides deep insights into the design and implementation of clinical trials that respond meaningfully to the unique cultural and healthcare needs of First Nations patients. The extended format allows for thorough exploration of these themes, making it a critical resource to foster trust, improve trial participation, and advance equitable health outcomes in Indigenous cancer care.
For researchers and healthcare clinicians, this yarn provides deep insights into the design and implementation of clinical trials that respond meaningfully to the unique cultural and healthcare needs of First Nations patients. The extended format allows for thorough exploration of these themes, making it a critical resource to foster trust, improve trial participation, and advance equitable health outcomes in Indigenous cancer care.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | https://gicancer.org.au/resources/seedpod-of-yarns/yarns-for-first-nations-patients-kin-and-community/ |
| Publisher | GI Cancer Institute AGITG |
| Edition | 1 |
| Media of output | Film |
| Size | 21 min 55 sec |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2025 |
Bibliographical note
This extensive yarn, produced and directed by Indigenous scholar Madison Shakespeare as part of the Seedpod of Yarns series, features a candid conversation with internationally renowned Professor Alan Wigg on clinical trials involving First Nations cancer patients. Shakespeare employs a decolonising Indigenist research approach, rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems and methodologies such as yarning, which centres First Nations ways of knowing, being, and doing. The yarn emphasizes the critical role of truth-telling and transparency in building trust and accountability with First Nations participants, their carers, kin, and communities.The film provides deep insights into the culturally informed clinical trial practices harnessed by Professor Wigg, highlighting the importance of culturally safe and ethical engagement in research involving Indigenous Australians. It serves as a vital resource for researchers and healthcare clinicians, offering guidance on how to design and conduct clinical trials that address the unique cultural and cancer care needs of First Nations patients. This work exemplifies how Indigenous creative practice can facilitate systemic change, promote health equity, and advance Indigenous self-determination in cancer clinical research and care.
Research Statement
Indigenous scholar Madison Shakespeare engages Professor Alan Wigg in a candid and thoughtful yarn that addresses the critical importance of truth-telling in clinical trial approaches involving First Nations cancer patients. This extensive conversation is designed to provide Indigenous communities with a deeper understanding of the culturally informed and ethically grounded research practices harnessed by Professor Wigg. The yarn foregrounds transparency as vital for ensuring that trial participants, their carers, kin, and community are fully informed and respected throughout the clinical trial process.Drawing upon a decolonising Indigenist research paradigm, Shakespeare’s approach centres Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing. This framework prioritizes Indigenous self-determination and ethical engagement, ensuring clinical trials foster cultural safety, respect, and accountability. The yarn offers researchers and healthcare clinicians valuable insights into designing clinical trials that address both the specific cultural needs and medical care requirements of First Nations patients. By integrating Indigenous research methodologies such as yarning, this work exemplifies a transformative method that advances health equity and trust-building in Indigenous cancer research and care.
Keywords
- cancer diagnosis
- self-determination
- Indigenous cancer patients
- Indigenous Community
- cancer treatment
- Clinical trials
- GI Cancer Institute
- AGITG
