Mental Health Impacts of Racism and the Role of Protective Factors for Black and African-Australians
Tracks
Ballroom 1 - Virtual via OnAIR
| Tuesday, June 23, 2026 |
| 2:20 PM - 2:40 PM |
Overview
Dr Tracy Tabvuma, Tabvuma Mental Health
Details
• Delegates will be able to describe the preliminary empirical links between racism and mental health outcomes for Black/African-Australians and recognise the critical evidence gap for this group.
• Delegates will be able to identify culturally grounded protective factors that mitigate racism-related harm, for example, strong cultural identity, community connection and mutual aid, spirituality, and access to trauma-informed culturally responsive services.
• Delegates will be able to apply three actionable strategies for policy, research and service design by disaggregating data by race/ethnicity, invest in community-led co-design and governance, and implement trauma-responsive and identity-affirming models of care.
Presenter
Dr Tracy Tabvuma
Founder And Credentialed Mental Health Nurse
Tabvuma Mental Health
Mental Health Impacts of Racism and the Role of Protective Factors for Black and African-Australians
Biography
Tracy is an award-winning Credentialed Mental Health Nurse and founder of Tabvuma Mental Health, a culturally responsive and inclusive service dedicated to improving mental wellbeing. She serves as a Board Director for the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses. Previously, Tracy was an Executive Committee member of the Zimbabwe Association in Australia (NSW). Tracy holds a PhD, with research interests focused on the physical health of people living with mental illness, the mental health impacts of persistent racialised and colonial trauma, and the resilience strategies that support Black and African communities.
