Debbie Brittain

Debbie Brittain is passionate about the value of integrating arts and health practice, and she regularly sees first-hand how the Arts enrich psychosocial wellbeing. Debbie’s interest in this field resulted in her developing the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) award-winning Art and Dementia Program, which she facilitates within her Project Officer role in the QAGOMA Learning team.

Debbie completed a Bachelor of Dementia Care at the University of Tasmania, where she developed a specific interest in non-pharmacological intervention approaches that support wellbeing and holistic care of people living with dementia.

QAGOMA’s evidence-based Art and Dementia Program aims to sustain function and quality of life by enabling people with dementia of all ages to remain meaningfully engaged and socially connected in a therapeutic gallery setting. In the absence of disease modifying treatment, Debbie’s work shifts the focus from illness to enhanced sense of wellness. In October 2022, QAGOMA’s Art and Dementia program was awarded the large workplace award at the Queensland Mental Health Week Achievement Awards, acknowledging Debbie’s work in championing arts and health practice to improve quality of life of community members.

Most recently, Debbie was invited to present on QAGOMA’s Art and Dementia Program at the 2023 MuseumNext global summit ‘Museums, Health, and Wellbeing’. Debbie was also guest speaker on the topic of ‘Ageing – The Arts, Health, and Wellbeing’ at the 2023 Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine Scientific Meeting.

Debbie’s interest in improving outcomes for people diagnosed with dementia has seen her contribute to local and national projects. In 2023-24 she is a member of the Stakeholder Reference Group for the 'Core Outcome Measures for Improving Care' research project, which involves improving quality and standards of routine dementia care in Australia and internationally.