Rate My Professor Stewart Sutherland

Associate Professor Stewart Sutherland, a proud Wiradjuri man born and raised in Wellington, New South Wales, in the heart of Wiradjuri country, is Associate Professor and Chair of the Indigenous Health Framework in the School of Medicine and Psychology, College of Health and Medicine, at The Australian National University. For over a decade, he has worked in Indigenous health, with a recent emphasis on identity, mental health, and the Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) of the Stolen Generations—individuals forcibly removed from their families. He completed his PhD at The Australian National University in 2016, with a thesis titled 'The effects of reconciliation initiatives (Apologies) on the Social and Emotional Wellbeing of the Stolen Generations,' exploring the interplay between government apologies and SEWB among those affected by forced removals.

Sutherland's research specializations include education, SEWB, cultural identity, trauma, forced child removals, cultural transference and knowledge systems (encompassing food traditions and security), Indigenous health, reconciliation, and the intersections of health and climate change. He leads projects such as Winhangadurinya: Indigenous mindfulness and ways of thinking (principal investigator) and serves as co-investigator on the Evaluation of Alternative Commissioning Pilots for remote and First Nations communities and the Evaluation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Alternative Commissioning Pilots in Remote and First Nations Communities (2025 final report). His key publications feature 'Solastalgia following the Australian summer of bushfires: Qualitative and quantitative insights about environmental distress and recovery' (Journal of Environmental Psychology, 2024), 'Nutrition, Soil Organic Carbon and Sustainability: Multiple Benefits of Agriculture Regeneration' (2024), 'Overcoming Climate Gridlock: Perspectives of Climate Leaders on How to Achieve Social Change During Persistent Failure in Australia' (Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 2025), 'Gender, Infectious Diseases, and One Health' (2025), 'Mental health and well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: Definitions, discourses and a capability-based conceptual framework' (2021), and 'Characterising health promotion in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages during the COVID-19 pandemic' (2022). He contributes to Indigenous education, including team efforts recognized for Indigenous Education in the ANU College of Science and Medicine, and delivers presentations on cultural inclusivity and reconciliation.