Valerie is a Bindjareb woman from the Nyoongar Nation in the South West of Western Australia with family connections to the Palkyu people of the Pilbara, a mother of six and grandmother of two. Through her husband, Valerie's children also identify as Nyikina and Yawaru from the Kimberley.
Valerie graduated as a Registered Midwife in 2015 and has worked clinically in Perth at the Armadale Health Service, in Midland at St John of God Public Hospital and in Adelaide at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital. As an Aboriginal woman and midwife, Valerie's own experiences birthing in the system generated her interest to improve outcomes in Aboriginal maternal and infant health, more specifically, embedding cultural safety in the pregnancy and birth space and improving the health of Aboriginal women from a cultural perspective. Valerie is the Senior Project Officer and Research Assistant at Ngangk Yira (Research Centre for Aboriginal Health and Social Equity) at Murdoch University and is working on Baby Coming You Ready? a comprehensive and culturally safe way to assess the social and emotional health and wellbeing of Aboriginal women in the perinatal period, with a focus on strength and resilience.
