Menzies School of Health Research deals with many challenges that most of us would not encounter in a day, let alone our lifetime. As the Australian leader in Indigenous and tropical health research, they work to diagnose, prevent and treat disease, liaising with health services and communities in areas such as Indigenous child and mental health, social determinants of health, preventable chronic disease and nutrition. It is the job of their Marketing and Communications Officer, Claire Addinsall, to ensure that the wider community is aware of the non-for-profit’s work, and are able to engage in the organisation’s activities. She understands the importance of highlighting Menzies work, having previously worked for Northern Territory Department of Housing, Local Government and Community Services in a similar position. Menzies School of Health Research was awarded a scholarship to attend HerBusiness’ webinar ‘Social Media Engagement’ at which Claire learned the importance of engaging before you market, building trust and credibility and encouraging regular engagement with followers. She says as a result of the webinar the school is now ensuring they test and analyse a variety of social posts to determine the best forms of engagement. They are trialling new post types such as competitions, which they had previously neglected.
As a consequence of the opportunity to participate in the webinar, Claire says “we feel more confident that we are on the right track with our social media strategy and are also looking to be more planned in our approach in the future.”
As the school continues to address questions such as why nine out of ten young Indigenous children from remote communities have an ear disease, or why Indigenous people experience more than ten times the prevalence of diabetes in the ages of 20 to 50, this newly acquired skill will be important. Menzies stands as an exemplary indicator of the impact of not-for-profits, returning 44% higher on each $1 investment than others making up the research and development sector. Amazingly, $1 invested in the organisation returns on average $3.12 in direct and indirect economic and health benefits. Their other achievements encompass a landmark study on deadly tropic bacterial disease melioidosis saw mortality from it decrease in the Northern Territory from 30% in the 1990s to just 10% in 2013. They developed a test to diagnose Scabies in 2006, and their One21Seventy program which improved the systems pertaining to Indigenous health services saw 100% increase in clinic attendance and implementation of treatment plans in 2013.
The Social Media Engagement scholarship was awarded to Claire Addinsall on behalf of Menzies School of Health Research as part of the HerBusiness’ partnership with the Australian Scholarships Foundation (ASF). For details of upcoming scholarships programs, visit the ASF website. Learn more about Menzies School of Health Research at their website.
This story was co-authored by Emma Grimley. Emma is studying Bachelor of Arts (Media) and Bachelor of Laws at Macquarie University and is currently completing an internship with HerBusiness.
