Dr Jean Pepperill

MD ’20

By Kate Holland

 

Dr Jean Pepperill is Lecturer in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health at the College of Medicine and Public Health. It wasn’t until her mid-20s that she became convinced that Aboriginal people could become doctors. And, thanks to Flinders, they could complete all their study in the Northern Territory, where she was born.

Dr Pepperill’s birthplace is Mparntwe (Alice Springs). She moved to Meanjin (Brisbane) following the arrival of her sister.

“My sister – the light of my life – was born with Down Syndrome. There were no resources in the NT at the time so we moved to Queensland so Mum could get support from her family.

“I have four older brothers who grew up in the Territory. I didn’t get to grow up with them but being able to visit them has shaped my life, as did the presence of higher education living with Mum. I grew up on a Griffth University campus in a single parent household. Mum was a student and I watched her complete a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours and then a PhD.

“Even though Mum was a scientist, I never liked science in school. There were three teachers who shaped my early adult life. They taught me English, modern history and ancient history. I graduated top of my class in my final year of English, and I loved ancient history so much, especially Egyptology, that I pursued it when I first left school.”

But Dr Pepperill never finished the Bachelor of Arts that she started in 2006. She had a crisis about what she actually wanted to do and spent time back in the Territory reconnecting with family to decide.

“I then enrolled in a biomedical science degree in Brisbane, unsure whether I’d pursue medicine or medical research. While I had many family members who attended university, on my dad’s side of the family, on my Kaytetye side, none had gone. I didn’t know Aboriginal people could become doctors.

“Having graduated, now in my 20s, I came back to the Territory and spotted an ad from Flinders, inviting people to become

NT doctors, the very same day. I rang up immediately and began studying in the Northern Territory Medical Program a few months later.

“Being able to live back in the NT closer to family and Country was a big drawcard. And the course allowed me to do all my training and time as a doctor in the NT, a fact some people still find hard to believe.”

Dr Pepperill became a Doctor of Medicine in 2020.

Hurdles and Highlights

Academic and cultural hurdles have appeared along the way for Dr Pepperill, but there have been some incredible highlights too.

“The medical program took a huge turn while I was still a student and adapting to new examination methods was difficult for me. I had to repeat a year. This is a common story you find amongst many Aboriginal graduates and students. Our journeys are never as smooth, which is why we need equitable supports in place.

“Professionally, I have had to sit with the reality of the discrepancies in health outcomes of mob. This, with facing systemic racism, brings unnecessary challenges as an Aboriginal doctor.

“There are also many rewards to being a doctor. I can’t beat the feeling of meeting patients who are so excited when they have an Aboriginal doctor. Patient outcomes improve when their healthcare providers look, and sound, like them.”

Dr Pepperill will never forget attending the Pacific Region Indigenous Doctors Congress in Hilo, Hawaii in 2018 as a student.

“Meeting and connecting with Indigenous doctors from around the Pacific was one of my most rewarding experiences as an Aboriginal medical student. The solidarity as Indigenous people in a field like medicine is incredible, and that congress was a huge highlight.

“Now I’m a doctor and board member of the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association (AIDA), a founding member of PRIDoC and proud to be hosting PRIDoC in Adelaide this year. I can’t wait to experience that connection again on Kaurna Country.”

AIDA has been an essential part of Dr Pepperill’s story and a huge support. She served on the student representative council for three years as a medical student before joining the board.

“The community of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical students and doctors has given me lasting friendships and mentorships. Meeting other Aboriginal doctors who have been through what you are experiencing and seeing them thrive is the biggest motivator. That community is the biggest cultural and spiritual renewal you can receive outside of your own families and communities. AIDA is a family, and attending the conference every year to celebrate Indigenous excellence in the medical space is so rewarding.”

Mental Health Matters

Dr Pepperill has also been able to specialise in psychiatry in the NT. She’s incredibly passionate about mental health.

“There is a long way to go until psychiatry as a discipline is\ culturally safe. I have made the decision to switch to general practice and hopefully intervene before people end up in crisis.

I am studying a Graduate Diploma in Psychology, supported by a scholarship from Dr Tracy Westerman AM.

“I would love to see mental health integrated into all areas of medicine. We tend to silo mental health, but it has a profound impact on other areas of health and vice versa. What I hope to see is better external services in community to work with mental health services to provide better holistic and integrated care.

“As my career shifts and changes, I am considering a PhD that will help shape practice and contribute to culturally safe mental health care.”

Inspired and Grateful

Dr Pepperill credits working in medicine for teaching her to listen to people and believes it has fostered more creativity in her too. She took up painting just before graduation and still paints today.

Asked to reflect, she is incredibly grateful to all those who have supported her along the way.

“It does take a village to get to where I am. People who have provided kind words, friends who I’ve laughed, cried and crammed with, supervisors who have been supportive of my skills as a doctor, and even staff whose offices I’ve cried in.”

Find your own village, is her advice. Surround yourself with a support network (from people inside and outside medicine) and you will be able to get through.

“Never forget why you started and write down all your good moments. When we are struggling, the brain will only remember the bad because it’s primed for survival. You need to be able to go back and read about the good times.”

As for defining her next move: she tends to follow where life takes her.