Perth -Radiance in Pain and Resilience: Public Lecture, Book Launch & Panel

📅 Tuesday, 5 August 2025

🕕 6:00 PM – 9:30 PM (Doors open and registration from 6:00 PM. Book sale and signing from 9:00–9:30 PM)📍

Venue: State Library Theatre, 5 Francis St, Perth WA 6000

🎟 Tickets: $30 general admission | $20 First Nations and Student tickets

🍴 Palestinian refreshments provided, including cheese and zaatar pastries, falafel and hummus, knafeh cups, and fruit and veggie platters.

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Join us for an unforgettable evening of powerful public dialogue, interdisciplinary insights, and storytelling as we welcome world-renowned Palestinian psychiatrist and author Dr. Samah Jabr to Perth for a special event exploring trauma, resilience and liberation.

The evening will include the official Perth launch of Dr. Jabr’s new book, Radiance in Pain and Resilience: The Reverberation of Palestinian Historical Trauma, along with presentations and reflections from leading voices in the fields of psychology, advocacy, Indigenous mental health, family violence, and lived experience.

This timely gathering will create space for truth-telling, shared healing, and intergenerational solidarity between communities impacted by colonial violence, forced displacement and systemic injustice.

A Jerusalem-born psychiatrist, psychotherapist, author and human rights advocate, Dr. Samah Jabr is one of the most influential voices in the field of Palestinian mental health. She served as Head of the Mental Health Unit at the Palestinian Ministry of Health and is globally recognised for her work on trauma under occupation, liberation psychology and culturally attuned care. She has written extensively on the intersections of psychiatry, colonialism and resistance, and her latest work, Radiance in Pain and Resilience, is her first English-language book.

Professor Pat Dudgeon is a Bardi woman from Western Australia, a psychologist, and a professor at the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health and the School of Indigenous Studies at the University of Western Australia. She is a trailblazer in Indigenous mental health, with a focus on social and emotional wellbeing and suicide prevention. She has served on numerous national boards and committees, including the National Suicide Prevention Office Advisory Board, Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit Australia), NACCHO and the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association. She is the Director of the Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention and leads the Transforming Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing project. Her influential publications include Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice (2014) and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Evaluation Project Report (2016).

Dr. Carol Kaplanian is a Jordanian-Palestinian-Armenian academic and practitioner, shaped by a powerful lineage of survival, the Nakba displaced her parents, and her grandfather was a survivor of the Armenian genocide. She holds a PhD on honour-based violence in Jordan, alongside a Bachelor’s degree in social work and social policy, and a Master’s in social work.

Dr. Kaplanian received the Grace Vaughn Award for Human Rights for her research, and has extensive experience in clinical counselling and trauma recovery, including years of work in Jordanian refugee camps. She is currently a specialist adviser in Community Child Protection for the WA Department of Communities and consults on complex cases involving forced marriage, trafficking, and violence.

A 2020 Churchill Fellow and subject matter expert with the Australian Federal Police, her recent work focuses on family violence among refugee and migrant women, and she is developing Australia’s first screening tool for honour-based violence.

Dr. Lama Al Ramahi is a Palestinian-Australian medical doctor currently working as a Surgical Registrar in Western Australia. Born in diaspora and trained in Dubai, she is a passionate advocate for Palestinian rights and is actively involved in advocacy groups including Healthcare Workers for Palestine WA and Perth Doctors for Palestine. She represents PANZMA (Palestinian Australian New Zealand Medical Association) in Western Australia, where she leads coordination of medical supplies and missions to Gaza. Dr. Al Ramahi is a vocal campaigner against anti-Palestinian racism and a prominent voice in the movement for justice and healthcare equity.

Dr. Mo is an English-Australian emergency physician trainee, humanitarian, and former international athlete of Palestinian heritage. He was the first Palestinian to represent the United Kingdom in international rugby and is a European titleholder in jiu-jitsu.Born into a Palestinian refugee family, Dr. Mo’s work spans emergency medicine, humanitarian response, and public advocacy. In 2024 and 2025, he served in Gaza’s Nasser and European hospitals, providing critical care amid bombardment and speaking out about the collapse of healthcare systems under siege. His live reporting from the frontlines reached millions and was profiled by The Guardian.

Since returning, Dr. Mo has completed over 25 speaking engagements and contributed to 19 major media appearances, calling attention to the rights of civilians and children in conflict zones.Dr. Mo brings an unflinching, first-hand perspective on health care as a human right, making him a powerful advocate and educator in this space.🔗 @beastfromthe_middleeast

Lana Kalis is the Australian-born daughter of Christian Palestinian Nakba survivor Nadim Kalis. With her lived experience of Palestinian diaspora and intergenerational trauma, Lana’s work deeply aligns with the themes explored in Dr. Jabr’s writing. She is a committed member of Perth Mums for Palestine, PCWA, and Healthcare Workers for Palestine WA. Lana has recently worked closely with newly arrived Gazan families, offering community support and mental health advocacy.

For any questions or queries, please contact:

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