Introduction by Croakey Professional Services: When Kaurna, Narungga and Ngarrindjeri woman, Kelli Owen, was asked to speak at a conference about her experiences as a patient with kidney disease and transplantation, she had no idea where her willingness to share and advocate would lead her.
She now wears many hats, including roles as the National Community Engagement Coordinator for the National Indigenous Kidney Transplantation Taskforce, a Cultural Advisor with SA Health and a researcher.
In the profile below, provided by the Women in Public Health (WPH) network, Owen shares how connection to Country, People, and Culture sustains and motivates her in her quest to improve equity and access to kidney transplantation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
This article is the third in a series published by Croakey Professional Services as sponsored content, with WPH support.
Edwina Pearse and Sarah Jackson write:
Kelli Owen, a Kaurna, Narungga and Ngarrindjeri woman, has emerged as a powerful force in Aboriginal kidney health, transforming her personal journey with chronic kidney disease (CKD) into an undertaking to revolutionise care for Indigenous Australians.
Her story is one of resilience, cultural strength, and the power of being seen, supported, and endorsed, for creating lasting change.
Owen’s journey began with her own CKD diagnosis at age 19, a moment that initially filled her with disbelief and distrust of the medical system.
“I didn’t believe the doctors and I just had this attitude of, ‘I’m not even sick and I don’t trust you’,” she recalls. This scepticism, rooted in childhood experiences with healthcare, would later fuel her determination to improve the kidney care journey for others.
Centrality of connection
Central to Owen’s story is her deep connection to Country.
“Being born and bred on Country and moving away at 13, I’ve lived all over Australia,” she shares. “I’ve been in lots of different communities, being brought into different language groups and just surrounded by love, and learnings from that.”
This connection has been a source of strength throughout her journey, particularly during challenging times.
“I think for me, I gained my strength coming home – Country and family called me to come home to gain my strength because I was only thinking in the moment, and I couldn’t think in the future because I was so scared.”
Holistic approaches
Owen’s professional path began in the field of education, a choice influenced by her role as a mother.
“I did my Bachelor of Education at Edith Cowan University first. That was because I had kids and I wanted time off to be able to be with them,” she explains.
However, her experiences with CKD would eventually lead her to a new calling in kidney health advocacy.
The turning point came almost six years ago, when Owen was invited to share her story at a conference in Naarm (Melbourne), opening her eyes to the power of her voice and lived experience.
“I got involved with the National Indigenous Kidney Transplantation Taskforce (NIKTT) as a consumer – being on their board and talking about my experiences going through this journey. They had all these different working groups and asked which ones I wanted to be on, and I ticked them all,” she recounts.
Today, Owen wears many hats, including roles as the National Community Engagement Coordinator for the NIKTT, a Cultural Advisor with SA Health and Chief Investigator A in COMPASS (Connecting Our Mob Patient navigators As Suitable Supports).
Her work is deeply rooted in community engagement and cultural understanding, with a focus on improving equity and access to kidney transplantation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.
Owen’s approach to healthcare is holistic, recognising the interconnectedness of physical, spiritual, and cultural well-being. “What we talk about in our Walking in Two Worlds course at Royal Adelaide Hospital is the importance of the holistic person for our people.”
She uses her own personal experience with dialysis as a reference point.
“Physically what you’re doing to me is hooking me to a machine to filter my blood, but that’s only one part,” she explains.
“I talk about my spirit health and my strength, my cultural connection to not only Country and ancestors and spirit, but in my cultural practices.”
Cultural safety and inclusion
The support and endorsement Owen has received have been crucial to her success and ability to implement change.
She speaks warmly of her professional “family” at the hospital and research institute, highlighting the importance of supportive workplaces that create environments of cultural safety and actively seek and implement First Nations insights to foster a sense of belonging and empowerment.
“The people around me have said ‘we’ve got your back’,” Owen shares, highlighting the importance of allies in her work. This supportive network acts as a community of practice, with shared values and goals, and has enabled Owen to push for significant changes in kidney care for First Nations Peoples.
“We’ve used the words of Aboriginal patient experts and their themes to implement change within our Indigenous governance. That goes back to them, and they check over everything,” she explains.
“We’ve been able to do the Walking in Two Worlds course. We’ve been able to do the organ cleansing ceremonies. We’ve been able to locate safe places in hospitals that we’ve designated for families.”
The creation of a culturally safe workplace has been a priority, with Owen’s employers actively seeking to build a team that reflects the community it serves.
“We have now built up a First Nations renal team – kidney team. And we now have six people in the team, four of them being First Nations,” she shares.
“This representation not only provides culturally appropriate care but also creates a supportive environment for Aboriginal staff.”
Power of lived experience
When Owen’s son faced similar health challenges to her own, she was uniquely positioned to be a powerful advocate for him.
“We found out through my son’s journey, we have Alport syndrome, which is genetically handed down,” Owen explains.
This diagnosis brought a new dimension to her advocacy work, as she now needed to apply her hard-earned knowledge to support her son, and to navigate the complex healthcare system with insight and determination.
Owen’s proactive approach is evident in her insistence on preventative care. “One of the things that I do with my kids, I take them to our local Aboriginal Medical Service and get our annual 715 health check done,” she says.
This foresight led to her son’s early diagnosis.
“He was 16 at the time, and he said to me, ‘Mum, why do we have to do this? I’m not even sick’ – and I said, ‘That’s right. I don’t want you to come here sick. Let’s come while we’re healthy. Make sure that we stay healthy’.”
When faced with her son’s diagnosis, Owen’s experience allowed her to provide immediate support and guidance.
“I said, ‘No babe, you’re not going to die. I’ve gone through it. Mum can do it. You can do it’.”
Owen’s advocacy extended to ensuring her son received the best possible care and this persistence paid off with her son receiving a transplant just 18 months after diagnosis.
Giving back and speaking up
Looking to the future, Owen is pursuing a PhD to further contribute to the field of Aboriginal kidney health. Her advice to young women considering a career in public health is powerful.
“As a young person, you are still learning and will continue to learn from experiences and people throughout your lives,” she says.
“One of the most important lessons is about giving back. If you can improve a situation and share that experience with others to make things better, you have the power within you to create real change.”
She emphasises the importance of speaking up.
“You don’t have to sit there and accept things. There is a way in which to respectfully say, this isn’t good enough. We deserve better. We can step up and be the change that we want to see.”
Owen’s story is a testament to the transformative power of cultural connection, community support, and personal resilience in healthcare.
Her work is not just changing lives; it’s changing systems, paving the way for more equitable, culturally safe kidney care for First Nation Peoples across Australia.
As she puts it, “We need to put [the idea] in there that they need to go and get checked, so we’re not making this disease silent anymore.”
The #LeadingWomen series of articles is funded by the Women in Public Health Network. This article was written by Edwina Pearse and Sarah Jackson and edited by Dr Ruth Armstrong and Dr Tess Ryan.
Women in Public Health is grateful to our funding partners, VicHealth and Health and Wellbeing Queensland, for their support. Their commitment is crucial in helping us advance our mission to empower women in the public health sector and promote gender equality.
