USQ honours first Indigenous doctoral graduand

Maree Toombs became USQ's first Indigenous student to graduate with a PhD when the mother-of-two culminated years of hard work on Saturday, April 30.

Dr Toombs has spent the last four years exploring how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students cope with studying at a university, and what variables impact on their ability to complete tertiary study. She said her own experiences as a student motivated her to look further into this area.

'I came through the IHEPP program in 1992. There were 28 of us who started and only 2 completed. It has bothered me ever since then. Why did I stay when others left,' Dr Toombs said.

'I looked at what impact universities have on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ overall wellbeing by examining how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students cope with studying at a university.

'In my research I questioned what variables within the individual’s own life may affect their ability to cope at university. I explored whether gaps existed and what these gaps were that may lead to poor social and emotional wellbeing at university, and what strategies could be implemented to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.'

Dr Toombs said her research suggested that there was a high level of mental illness among indigenous students (intergeneration pain due to colonisation), and that those students who remained at university had family support and had a parent or grandparent with a higher degree or went to a boarding school.

'I have already published three papers in the area of resilience and social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at university, I am currently working on an ARC grant to develop a resilience training program for universities,' she said.

Dr Toombs is currently the Indigenous Health Coordinator at the University of Queensland’s School of Medicine (Rural Clinical School).