Lorian Hayes and the National Indigenous Australian Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Education Network (NIAFASSN)

Lorian Hayes, an Aboriginal Australian, is a descendant of the Bidjerra and Wadja peoples of central Western Queensland’s Carnarvon Gorge.  She is also an epidemiologist and FASD educator and founder of the National Indigenous Australian Foetal Alcohol Education Network (NIAFASSN), an organization that provides education about FASD, advocacy, referrals, and training. For the past 14 years, Lorian has been involved with research and community capacity building in the area of FASD.

Some of you may have heard Lorian speak at the 3rd International Conference on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Victoria in March 2009. If not, you can read her opening remarks here and get a sense of her humour and breadth of experience. You can also visit the NIAFASSN web site here.