Brittany Abraham posthumously awarded UNE's Honorary Doctor of Science

Sadly her dream fell short when she died in a car crash in March this year. She was just 25 years old.

However a special recognition will now be attached to her name for ever more.

Ms Abraham has posthumously received an honourary Doctor of Science honoris causa (HonDSc) award from the University of New England.

The honour is in recognition of her scholarly excellence and extraordinary dedication to improving the access and inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander to university study at UNE.

Ms Abraham arrived at UNE in 2017 to study. She was an Indigenous woman eager to complete her PhD which focused on improving mental health and well-being in rural and remote Australia.

She had previously completed her Bachelor of Nursing, Bachelor of Psychological Science, and Bachelor of Psychology with First Class Honours at UNE.

The inspiration behind her medical ambitions was an intensive care nurse who looked after her when, in 2015, she was admitted to Randwick Children's Hospital in Sydney after suffering a serious spinal injury in a high-speed tubing accident on water.

In addition to studying at UNE, Ms Abraham began working there in 2020.

She started as an academic tutor and teacher before becoming an associate lecturer.

In 2022, she became a lecturer for the Faculty of Medicine and Health in Indigenous Knowledge and the following year she became a committee member for both the Human Research Ethics Committee and the Research Committee of Academic Board Deputy.

She was also an associate lecturer at the Oorala Aboriginal Centre and a lecturer in Indigenous Knowledges.

On top of all that, she tutored students in many health-related degrees including nursing and psychology. She was the founder, creator and face of Unlax Candles, which is marketed as hand-poured 100 per cent soy candles.

Ms Abraham's sister, Natalie Abraham, said in a social media post about the posthumous award: "UNE has recognised Britt's outstanding contributions in relation to her research and early career as an academic.

"We would like to thank UNE for their ongoing support and for recognising Britt's contributions.

"We are forever proud of our Britt and she continues to amaze and inspire us every day."