Dr Eddy Strivens: The long road to the Far North - Community led, evidence-based approaches to healthy ageing and dementia in the Torres Strait and beyond

Seminar Overview

Dementia prevalence is rising globally, yet First Nations and remote populations remain under-represented in research, contributing to inequities in culturally sensitive care, with Torres Strait Islander peoples experiencing distinct geographic, cultural, and health system contexts affecting dementia risk and management.

The Healthy Ageing Research Team (HART) has undertaken a long-term, community-led research program, informing clinical service delivery, using mixed-methods and participatory approaches, grounded in partnerships with communities, Elders, and local health services. Findings show cognitive impairment and dementia prevalence approximately three times higher than expected, with earlier onset and significant vascular and metabolic comorbidity.

Barriers to timely diagnosis include social determinants of health, isolation, and limited specialist access. HART has developed culturally sensitive assessments and primary care-embedded models of care, informing regional practice, policy and a Torres Strait-specific Healthy Ageing Framework, all of which will be discussed in this session.

Speaker

Dr Eddy Strivens is a Geriatrician and Director of Research for Cairns and Hinterland HHS in Far North Queensland, a Professor with James Cook University School of Medicine and a former President of the Australia and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine.

Clinically, Eddy is based in Cairns, where he came for a 12 month job in 1996 and is still there 30 years later, including a 17 year stint as Clinical Director for Older Persons, Sub-Acute and Rehab services. His medical interests include integrated community and sub-acute care, dementia in acute care and regional outpatient memory clinics, including outreach to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities in the Torres Strait and Cape York.

His clinical research interests include Successful Ageing and Dementia in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities and Models of Integrative Service Delivery, including Telegeriatrics and Transitions in Sub-Acute Care and Community Care. He leads the Healthy Ageing Research Team at James Cook University, with 10 years of continuous NHMRC grants and over $8million in competitive grants funding and over 50 peer reviewed publications.

Eddy was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2023 Australia Day Honours for significant service to geriatric medicine and to professional organisations. Previously in 2015, Eddy was awarded the Public Service Medal (PSM) in the Queens Birthday Honours for services to Queensland Health in the area of Aged Care and the biennial Louis Ariotti Award for Excellence and Innovation in the field of Rural and Remote Health. In 2019, Eddy was appointed to Pre-Eminent Staus within Queensland Health.

Outside of medicine, Eddy is married to Mary-Anne, with 3 children and a keen photographer/videographer, hiker, scuba diver and travel enthusiast.

He can be contacted via Twitter/x/Instagram as @edstrivens.