Kris McBain-Rigg

Kris is a medical anthropologist who has lived and worked in regional Australia and has a passion for improving the health of rural, remote and Indigenous Australian populations. Kris worked as a research officer at the Mount Isa Centre for Rural and Remote Health (MICRRH) on several major projects including The Rural and Remote Road Safety study (2005-2006), development of an online Cultural Awareness training package for General Practitioners (GPET Cultural Awareness Package) (2006), and the Lifescripts adaptation for use with Indigenous clients (2007). Kris also completed her PhD in Mount Isa, Queensland; a critical medical anthropological enquiry of the health care choices and health care access barriers facing local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of the community. This was followed by postdoctoral studies examining the ways that JCU Medical Students understand and integrate principles of social accountability into their learning and practice.

Kris's recent work has included research on the use of Quad Bikes in occupational settings in North West Queensland, the current state of primary industries OHS research, and the barriers and facilitators facing farmers in the uptake of OHS solutions on their enterprises. This work was completed with Associate Professor Richard Franklin of the World Safety Organisation Collaborating Centre for Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion (CPHMVS). In collaboration with Professor Maxine Whittaker and Dr David McLaren, Kris has also been exploring the perceptions and attitudes to skin health held by Mount Isa community members.