Lynette Bullen

Medical Evaluation and Research Unit

Lynette Bullen

Bachelor of Counselling

Lecturer in Medicine, Proud Wiradjuri Woman (Indigenous Research)
Orange
Building 1008, Room 250

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Lynette, a proud Wiradjuri woman, who embarked on her journey into research during her participation in the Health Rural Research Capacity Building Program with NSW Health. Lynette has nearly three decades of experience working in the field of drug and alcohol.

In her current role as a part of CSU School of Rural Medicine (SRM) Research and Evaluation team, Lynette brings with her a passion for research, particularly in the realm of Aboriginal health. She is enthusiastic about contributing to this position and furthering her commitment to advancing knowledge and understanding in the field.

In 2021, Lynette's commitment and outstanding contributions to the area of drug and alcohol was recognition by The Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs (APSAD) and was awarded the Clinician of the Year Award.

Adding to the list of accomplishments, a highlight of the year 2024 for Lynette was the invitation to serve as an Adjunct Associate Professor at La Trobe University.

Lynette's impact on education extends beyond the boundaries of clinical practice. From 2009 to 2011, she took on the role of educator at TAFE NSW in the Welfare Department at the Orange Campus, sharing her wealth of knowledge with aspiring professionals. Her dedication to teaching reached a pinnacle in 2010 when she was invited as a guest lecturer at Charles Sturt University (CSU), contributing to the Djirruwang Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health Program.

While not initially seeking a formal teaching role, Lynette has embraced the role of an accidental teacher, providing crucial support to numerous welfare and health students during their placements. Recognising the significance of mentorship, she views this role as vital in nurturing and encouraging the next generation of health professionals as they embark on their careers.

Specialising in the drug and alcohol field, Lynette has immersed herself in a project as the Chief Investigator (CI) evaluating the impacts of Buvidal on individuals enrolled in the opioid treatment program in a rural Aboriginal community in NSW. This is a joint project between the SRM and WNSW LHD.

In addition to her primary project, Lynette is actively engaged in three other research initiatives:

  • "Making it easier for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care services to screen for risky drinking and provide tailored feedback: adapting the Grog Survey App" (2023+):
  • "Better data on methamphetamines and other drugs among Indigenous Australians to inform policy and practice: Drug Survey App (NHMRC Ideas Grant, 2023+):
  • “Adult drinking and child maltreatment in families, communities and societies (La Trobe University, 2023+)

For Lynette, a notable career highlight was seeing her research on the "Beliefs and attitudes of drug and alcohol clinicians when considering referral of Aboriginal clients to involuntary drug and alcohol treatment." published in a peer review journal.

In 2022 Lynette was awarded the Western NSW Local Health District Allied Health Researcher of the Year Award and in 2023 she was nominated and awarded with the Western NSW Research Network, Aboriginal Health Researcher of the Year Award.

Professional Memberships:

Lynette is currently the Aboriginal representative for the Greater Western NSW Human Research Ethics Committee (2021+)

For the last two years Lynette has been an active member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and Drugs annual conference (2022+)

Last year Lynette was invited to be on the First Peoples sub-committee for the Biomedical Research on Alcoholism conference which will be co-hosted by the Asia-Pacific Society for Alcohol and additions Research.

Lynette has been a member of the Aboriginal Corporation Drug and Alcohol Network of NSW (ACDAN) since 2018