Jo-ann has a wide range of interests and extensive experience in Multicultural Issues and Cross-cultural education in the Health and Welfare fields. She is also an advocate of easier access to alcohol and other drug treatment services to those affected by problematic use of alcohol and other drugs, which includes family members. She has lived in Melbourne, Australia, all her life, but has travelled extensively.

Points of Interest:

Music - classical, Theatre Organ, jazz and musical comedy

Skiiing - downhill, mainly at Mt Bulla in Victoria

Photography and Desk top publishing

Social Justice - especially in regard to access of health and welfare services by persons from Culturally and Lingistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds and all those affected by problematic consumption of alcohol and/or other drugs by the users and members of their family.

Biography

Jo-ann started out working in the Physiology Laboratories of Melbourne University while studying part- time Medical Sciences at RMIT then transferring to the School of Photography at RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) Melbourne, Australia.

Her career was interupted by starting her family of three girls, but later returned to the 'work force' by taking a part-time position in photography at Standard Newspapers for a period of 5 years.

After being retrenched and unable to find parttime employment during school hours only, she returned to studies and undertook a Bachelor of Arts in Multicultural Studies at RMIT University, Melbourne Australia, with majors in Psychology and Languages.

These studies led to Jo-ann being employed by Melbourne Health at the Royal Park Campus (formerly North West Hospital and Melbourne Extended Care) for just under 15 years. For twelve of those years she was the Transcultural Services/Ethnic Health Co-ordinator across the North Western Health Care corridor. Her duties included delivering staff education regarding multicultural health issues, effective communication with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, plus crosscultural awareness in issues surrounding death dying and bereavement - the 'Dos and Taboos'. While undertaking this work she also commenced a Masters Degree in the Faculty of Language and International Studies at the RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia and also has a Graduat Diploma in Alcohol & Other Drug Studies. Her published works and presentation titles at health and welfare Conferences are listed below, however she is currently preparing to publish a paper on her research project "The Family Perspective: Issues affecting family and friends of a problem drinker, their access to and satisfaction with support services".

Currently, Jo-ann is working on the Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria's Drug's Taskforce and Health Policy Committee plus facilitating groups of bereaved partners auspiced by the Australian Centre for Grief  & Bereavement. These positions are held in a voluntary capacity.

On the other side of the spectrum she is heavily involved in theatre organ music and silent movies. As such Jo-ann is the designated photographer for the Theatre Organ Society of Australia Inc. (Victorian Division). and some of her work has featured in the monthly magazine, VOX. In addition, she works with the Australian Theatre Organist, David Johnston as his 'roadie', DVD projectionist and technical assistant touring Australia, New Zealand and the USA.

Since taking up playing the Theatre Organ a few years ago Jo-ann occasionally performs in cameo spots playing duets with David at his minor concerts and regularly plays for residents in a residential care facility.

Special Interests & Publications:

Assistance in Production of brochures and advertising material

Photographic library:

            Grand Canyon, USA;

            Cradle Mountain,  Tasmania, Australia;

            New Zealand - South Island, Fox Glacier, Lake Matheson, Greymouth - Dunedin

Conference Presentations:

• Stenton, J (1994) Aged Accommodation Issues in a Multicultural Society – Inner West MRC – 1994

• Carroll, G & Stenton, J (Nov 1993) How well Does the Health Care System Embrace the Needs of All Our Elderly?  Paper for National Conference "Health for Multicultural Australia - Valuing diversity".

• Carroll, G & Stenton, J (August 1995) Building a Transcultural Focus into Mainstream Health Care, Ethnic Health & Community Services Conference – Planning for Change.

• Stenton, J (February 1997) Cross Cultural Communication -A means by which to make Services Culturally  Sensitive to the Needs of the Individual,  Multicultural Issues in Aged Care -Albury Wodonga Regional Conference.

• Stenton, J (November 26, 1997) Strategies for optimising communication by utilisation of interpreter services including cultural broker, Crossing Cultures: A Two Way Street – Seminar Victorian Transcultural Psychiatry Unit (VTPU).

• Stenton, J (October 1998) Utilisation of Interpreters with Stroke Patients in Rehabilitation, Stroke Society of Australasia – Annual Scientific Meeting, Perth, Western Australia

• Stenton, J (November 1998) Utilisation of Interpreters in a Rehabilitation Setting - RMIT Research Students Conference

• Stenton, J. (July 2000) Cross-Cultural Health Issues Encountered when working with Immigrant Aged - Presentation to: National Aging Research Institute (NARI)

• Stenton, J. (November 2000) Second Language Attrition in Aged Immigrants, presenting with Dementia –RMIT Research Students Fellowship Conference

• Stenton, J (July 2002) Death & Bereavement in the Workplace, Safe Work Practices – Health & Safety Conference – Safety Institute of Australia (SIA)

• Stenton, J (September 2002) Grief – A Family Perspective,  IIR Conference sponsored by WorkCover

FORUMS:

Convened forum at North West Hospital to facilitate a Response to: Issues and Options Paper for the Review of the Funding and Management of the Language Services System - 1997

Nurse Education - 3 Sessions annually: Cultural Awareness & Communication & Effective Utilisation of Interpreters

Staff Orientation Sessions (monthly over 5 years) – Cross-cultural Awareness & Effective Communication

Convenor - Culturally Appropriate Aged Care Services in the Western Region – Forum 25 June 1997 at North West Hospital (now Melbourne Extended Care & Rehabilitation Service)

Focus Group Interviews (4 – over 3 year period) – Facilitator for Satisfaction Surveys for Parkville (Day) Activities Centre – Initially taped and written up verbatum – Paper and recommendations prepared in conjunction with Kay Richter, Occupational Therapist.

Guest Speaker at Forum - Getting a chance to talk about it - Health issues in Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Communities.  Jointly sponsored by Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria and HACC Services – December 2001

Guest Speaker – National Ageing Research Unit (NARI) Lunchtime series for medical and allied health staff. Effective Communication with people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds 2001-2003

Guest Speaker – Death and Grief – A multicultural  perspective  Western Region Community Health Workers Forum 2003

Guest Speaker Optimising Cross-Cultural Communication

Melbourne City Mission (Palliative Care) Staff Education – Medical, Nursing and Allied Health - 2008

PUBLICATIONS:

FELCS – Celebrating the Diversity of Researching Learning, Service Culture and Communication – RMIT University 1999 – Utilisation of Interpreters in a Rehabilitation Setting – Joann Stenton

National Multicultural Health Conference – 1995 – How Well Does the Health Care System Cater for the NESB?  Gabriella Carroll & Joann Stenton

Journal of Groups in Addiction & Recovery, 9:3, 199-221, DOI: 10.1080/1556035X.2014.943551  - Social Support, Group Involvement, and Well-Being Among the Family and Friends of Problem Drinkers, Jo-ann Stenton, David Best & Bridget Roberts (2014).

Read my paper for free at: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/wu4Q6SFk3STzJmpP23wW/full

or Click HERE to read my paper