Readers are advised the following article contains photos of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples.
About 18 months before the 2025 INCITE Awards, a small but determined team from Curtin University was quietly working with communities across the Pilbara.
It’s no secret that people in the Pilbara face unique health challenges. Health outcomes across the region are generally poorer than in metropolitan areas, with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities disproportionately affected. Rates of chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease remain significantly higher than the national average.
Healthy connections: Professor Andrew Maiorana on Country in Punmu in the Pilbara (left); Professor Maiorana with Curtin University Electrical Engineering, Computing and Mathematical Sciences (EECMS) team members Susannah Soon, Sonny Pham, Henry Truong and Kit Yan Chan in East Pilbara (right); Insent: How the Kawu Balya app appears to users.
At the start, the Curtin team focused on clinical needs - how to help healthcare providers make sense of patient data. But as they spent time on Country and listened to local voices, they saw something bigger: a gap in understanding.
“People feel a bit uncomfortable coming into the clinic and talking to clinicians, and also they have difficulties with communication,” explained Associate Professor Susannah Soon of Curtin University.
That realisation sparked a turning point. Susannah and her colleagues from Curtin’s School of Electrical Engineering, Computing and Mathematical Sciences - including researchers from First Nations cultures - knew they had to take a different approach.
They set out to design something that understood the community, not just talked at it. Something that would help people take control of their own health journeys.
That’s how Kawu Balya - a patient-facing health app built with and for Pilbara communities - was born.
Celebrating impact: Some of the Kawu Balya team at the 34th INCITE Awards where the app won the 2025 Social Impact
Award. The award was presented by City of Perth Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds.
The journey wasn’t easy, but the team’s efforts have earned recognition. Kawu Balya took home the Social Impact Award at the 2025 INCITE Awards — a celebration of the creativity and dedication of the students and staff behind it.
“We were really excited because we wanted to celebrate the work that our students had done. It was a little bit unexpected because we had so many competitors in the field and we thought that they were amazing, too. When we got called, it was quite a surprise,” Susannah shared.
The award was more than a trophy — it was validation that their work could make a real difference.
This win marks back-to-back wins for this team. The group also took home the Social Impact Award in 2024 for their Healthy Connections project — the broader initiative under which Kawu Balya was developed. Sponsored by the City of Perth, the award celebrates technology that creates meaningful social change and strengthens community wellbeing.
Remote challenges: Punmu is located 1310km northeast of Perth, Western Australia.
From the start, the team understood that health technology needed to feel familiar, respectful and grounded in culture.
They consulted an Aboriginal advisor on language, imagery and design, while a First Nations graphic designer developed the visual identity — incorporating meaningful dots, motifs and a warm colour palette.
Most importantly, they listened to feedback directly from community members through face-to-face consultations in the Pilbara and Newman.
“We thought having an app that was more culturally sensitive, with a lot of visual features and motifs suitable for Aboriginal culture, would help people feel more comfortable,” said Susannah.
Every detail was designed to make users feel respected, engaged and confident using the app.
Back-to-back wins: The Curtin University Electrical Engineering, Computing and Mathematical Sciences (EECMS) team also won the Social Impact Award the year prior for the Healthy Connections project, of which Kawu Balya is a key program within. The Social Impact Award is sponsored by the City of Perth.
Working in remote regions comes with its own set of obstacles.
“The internet is not always available to the community in remote regions,” explained team member, Curtin University Associate Professor Sonny Pham.
To address this, Kawu Balya can store data offline and synchronise later via Ethernet or Wi-Fi. The app is distributed through TestFlight (iOS) and Beta Apps (Android), allowing clinicians to share updates and schedule appointments securely.
After check-ups, health advice can be transferred through encrypted QR codes — letting patients track their wellbeing between visits, while clinicians monitor progress and recommend further care when needed.
The app isn’t just about storing information — it’s about inspiring change.
User behaviour is recorded securely, with gentle reminders and small rewards to encourage progress.
The app focuses on practical goals: moving more, eating nutritious foods, cutting back on junk food, maintaining good hygiene, and following culturally relevant health advice. Every feature was informed by research and community consultation with First Nations communities.
Each user creates a personal PIN, and all data is encrypted. Even if a device is lost or stolen, the information remains protected. Users can also delete local data to manage storage, while continuing to track their health securely in the cloud.
Kawu Balya is already making a difference. Younger generations are becoming more tech-savvy, and the app’s adoption continues to grow. By blending cultural understanding with digital innovation, the project is helping Pilbara communities take greater ownership of their health and build sustainable habits for the future.
“Kawu Balya tells a story of listening, learning and designing with purpose,” Sonny said. “It’s proof that when technology meets culture, it can empower communities and create lasting impact.”
What began as a local research project has become a model for how technology can connect people, culture and care. For the Kawu Balya team, the recognition is a reminder of what’s possible when innovation starts with listening — and when Western Australian ingenuity is driven by community purpose.
Kawu Balya was developed by a multidisciplinary team from Curtin University’s School of Electrical Engineering, Computing and Mathematical Sciences. The project brought together students, researchers and community advisors — including Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander collaborators — to design technology that supports better health literacy and communication in regional Western Australia.
The team received the Social Impact Award at the 2025 INCITE Awards, recognising their commitment to co-design, cultural sensitivity and real-world community outcomes.
INCITE Awards
INCITE Awards
INCITE Awards
