About Us

The Rioli Fund for Aboriginal Health has been established, by Menzies School of Health Research, to raise funds for research into issues that impact upon the health and well-being of Indigenous Australians.

Funds raised by the Rioli Fund go directly to

• Indigenous Child Health
• Indigenous Healing and Resilience
  

The Rioli Fund for Aboriginal Health works with a number of individuals, businesses and organisations to help raise much needed funds to address these issues, many of which have been put into the "too hard basket" for far too long, and to take steps to make a real difference in improving the lives of Indigenous Australians.

Dean Rioli, Chair and founder of The Rioli Fund for Aboriginal Health grew up on the Tiwi Islands, one of Australia's most beautiful islands, located in the Northern Territory.

As a youngster he enjoyed the beaches, lakes and bush land had to offer. He also enjoyed kicking the football with his family and friends which lead him to the AFL where he played 100 games for Essendon, cementing his presence as a significant player on Essendon's senior list for a number of years.

Dean grew up experiencing first hand the poverty and poor health conditions his family, friends and community faced and he knows all too well of the impact that this had upon their physical and mental health.

Over the years, as Dean's football career took off and he moved first to Western Australian and then to Melbourne, the differences in living conditions between Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australian's grew more apparent to him.

Poor health, lack of education and a general lack of understanding by others about Aboriginal culture made Dean sit up and vow to use his skills and connections to take real steps to improve this situation, teaming up with Menzies School of Health Research Dean volunteers his time to help close the gap between Indigenous and non Indigenous Australians.

Menzies School of Health Research
Through scientific excellence, education and research the team at Menzies is discovering ways to reduce the impact of disease and improve the health and well-being of people living in Australia and beyond.

As the nation's leader in Indigenous and tropical health research, our discoveries are being used to better prevent, treat and diagnose disease. Our researchers are also making a difference by showing how the social and physical environments in which we live and in which health care is delivered can be improved for better health outcomes.

The problems associated with poor health and disease don't stop at international borders - that is why Menzies researchers work with governments and communities in our region and across the globe to offer their expertise and contribute our unique perspective gained from over twenty years of ground breaking research.

At Menzies we are passionate about using our unique knowledge and solutions to discover a healthy tomorrow for all.

Working within our seven Divisions our expertise includes:

Child Health - we are working to combat ear, lung and skin infections that stunt the growth and development of Indigenous children and are focusing on the links between health and education from pre-birth to leaving school.

Healing and Resilience - our researchers are helping to prevent, diagnose and treat mental illness and substance misuse in Indigenous people.

International Health - we are world leaders in research into major health problems in our region including rheumatic heart disease, malaria and tuberculosis.

Preventable Chronic Disease - we are working to discover the causes of chronic disease including diabetes, heart and kidney disease, and find the best ways to diagnose and prevent them.

Tropical and Emerging Infectious Diseases - the Menzies team are unearthing new health threats so we can improve treatments, prevent the spread of disease and help develop vaccines.

Services, Systems and Society - our researchers are finding out what we are doing right and what can be changed so we can improve the health care system and social and physical environments.

Education and Training - we are training the researchers and policy makers of the future to help fight disease, injury, disability and death and improve the quality of life of disadvantaged Australians.

With its main base on the Royal Darwin Hospital campus in Darwin, Northern Territory, Menzies employs around 200 staff a high proportion of whom are Indigenous. We also operate a smaller unit in Alice Springs and have a joint facility with the Indonesian Department of Health in Timika, Indonesia.

We work in more than 40 Indigenous communities across Australia and our work touches the lives of many. Our researchers are discovering better ways to treat the common problems and we are teaching local people how to improve the health of their communities.