A First Nations–led, co-designed study, Powerful Pictures works in partnership with communities across the region to improve early detection and management of heart disease, including access to advanced cardiac imaging.
Early support from EMF for the CAD project provided crucial funding and community connections, helping the team gather evidence and build trust. That groundwork helped inform and support the MRFF-funded Powerful Pictures Study, led by Prof Louise Cullen and coordinated by Laura Stephensen from the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation (AusHSI), with Dr Katrina Starmer as Cairns Hospital Site Lead.
We spoke with members of the Powerful Pictures Study team – Laura Stephensen, Emergency Nurse and Project Coordinator; Jeremy Rigney, Ngarrindjeri man, Research Nurse and Nurse Navigator; Virginia Campbell, Research Nurse; and Tiana Thorne, Gamilaraay and Kuku Yalanji woman, PhD Candidate – about the project, its impact, and the role EMF played in making it possible.
How did EMF’s early support for the CAD project help pave the way for the Powerful Pictures Study?
Laura: EMF’s support was critical, it gave us the data and evidence for the Powerful Pictures grant application and helped build relationships with clinicians, community members, and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations.
Virginia: Funding from EMF enabled participation from people whose families had been affected. We can’t thank EMF enough; it allowed this research to expand into Powerful Pictures and address the changes needed in the system.
Jeremy: EMF support allowed me to join as the identified worker, helping us genuinely connect with the community. It was paramount, without it, the CAD study wouldn’t have happened. It opened doors for me personally and was crucial for patient follow-up and building trust. That early engagement also created a foundation for strong community involvement, which has allowed Powerful Pictures to centre First Nations voices from the beginning.
Why is this research so important for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and communities?
Tiana: Cardiovascular disease is a major contributor to the gap in life expectancy, and it’s something I’ve seen personally in my own family. Being able to detect risk earlier is life-saving. And Far North Queensland has unique barriers, so local evidence matters.
Jeremy: We know heart disease is prevalent, yet First Nations communities get fewer research opportunities. This work lets us focus on a group that often gets overlooked and starts the process to understand what we can do to catch it early instead.
Virginia: People would often say they wanted to be here for their grandkids. That’s why this matters. This research is about keeping families together and helping future generations.
Laura: Every person we interviewed had a story about heart disease in their family. This project gives patients the chance to prevent those devastating events and take control of their heart health.
From your perspective, what does culturally informed cardiac care look like in practice?
Jeremy: It’s about relationships. In the CAD study we never rushed consent. Virginia and I supported people first, let them talk to family, and met them where they were. People first, paperwork second.
Tiana: Cultural safety can only be defined by those who experience the care. For us, it means slowing down, asking patients how the care felt for them, and letting their voices shape what “good care” actually is every step of the way.
Laura: When we analysed early interviews, “meeting patients where they are, without judgment” came up again and again. Culturally informed care means respect, listening, and partnership.
Virginia: It’s giving people time, space, and respect. That builds trust, and trust is at the heart of culturally safe cardiac care.
What impact do you hope this work will have for patients, communities and clinicians in Far North Queensland and beyond?
Laura: I hope the project will be both life-changing and life-saving. Early detection means people can make choices that protect their heart now and in the future.
Jeremy: For clinicians, it builds research capacity, especially for First Nations clinicians and researchers. This project genuinely changed my career path.
Virginia: The flow-on effects are huge. When one patient learns something, the whole family learns. People become empowered to support each other and recognise the signs earlier.
Tiana: It gives communities culturally safe recommendations designed specifically for Far North Queensland, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander involvement at the heart, with the hope that other regions can then adapt it to their own context.
Congratulations on winning the first ever EMF Award at the ACEM ASM. What does this recognition mean to you and the team?
Virginia: We’re very thankful. Without EMF, none of this would have happened.
Jeremy: It means a lot because it recognises how important First Nations-led research is, and how much more we still need to do.
Tiana: It shows that taking time to properly engage community and do things the right way is valued.
Laura: It’s a real reflection of the team’s passion. From day one, everyone has cared deeply about this work.
The team’s reflections highlight more than research outcomes, they reveal a vision for lasting change, and outline how EMF’s early support opened doors, built relationships, and engaged communities in shaping culturally safe cardiac care.
For researchers and participants, this work is about empowerment, connection, and hope: healthier families, First Nations voices guiding care, and inspiration for similar initiatives across Australia. The story of Powerful Pictures is still unfolding, but its impact is already felt in Far North Queensland and beyond.
For more information about the project, visit AusHSI.
