Powerful Pictures study wins Emergency Medicine Foundation award
The Powerful Pictures study has been recognised for transforming cardiac care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Far North Queensland, receiving the inaugural Emergency Medicine Foundation (EMF) Award at the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) Annual Scientific Meeting on 26 November 2025.
Championing outstanding research by Queensland-based emergency clinicians, this year’s award celebrates research that empowers First Nations patients, strengthens clinician-patient communication, and reshapes culturally safe cardiac care across Far North Queensland.
Led by Professor Louise Cullen at the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation (AusHSI), the project, titled Culturally safe identification of coronary artery disease in the emergency department for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: the Powerful Pictures model of care, promotes earlier treatment and culturally safe cardiac care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients across Far North Queensland.
The Powerful Pictures Study is partnering with First Nations communities, patients and clinicians to co-design better models of care, which are now being implemented across Cairns, Atherton and Weipa hospitals. The project involves collaboration with a wider team including researchers from Cairns Hospital, CSIRO, Flinders University, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and Queensland Health, and builds on EMF-funded research driving meaningful change.
The award was presented by EMF General Manager, Dr Angie Nguyen Vu, and accepted by:
- Laura Stephensen, Emergency Nurse and Project Coordinator, AusHSI
- Jeremy Rigney, Emergency Nurse and Nurse Navigator
- Virginia Campbell, Research Nurse
- Tiana Thorne, PhD Candidate
Learn how Powerful Pictures is driving meaningful change to advance emergency medicine on the research project web page.
IMAGE (L-R): Tiana Thorne, Virginia Campbell, Laura Stephensen, Jeremy Rigney, Angie Nguyen Vu. Courtesy ACEM.
Media enquiries
Sian Conway Lamb, Marketing and Communications Coordinator, AusHSI, 07 3138 6087, sian.conwaylamb@qut.edu.au
