Indigenous health forum progresses staff and student outcomes

An inaugural Indigenous Health Staff Forum was held at Flinders Bedford Park campus to advance three key areas of the College of Medicine and Public Health’s (CMPH) Indigenous health strategy – supporting Indigenous staff members, building capacity and community perspectives in Indigenous health researchers, and improving Indigenous student outcomes.

Designed to advance the Strategy Implementation Plan for Indigenous Health, which was recently finalised by the College of Medicine and Public Health, the forum made good initial progress through sessions on the three key strategic areas, together with a research showcase on Indigenous health issues, an Indigenous student recruitment, retention and support workshop, and an Indigenous staff get-together.

The collaborative event was held over 13 and 14 November and was attended by more than fifty Flinders staff working in the NT and SA. These included staff from the CMPH and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences (CNHS), together with participants from Yunggorendi at Bedford Park, the Poche Centres for Indigenous Health and Well-Being, Flinders Northern Territory, the Centre for Remote Health, and Flinders Rural Health South Australia.

Key strategic areas

  • Developing a community of practice and Indigenous group support among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff members
  • Strengthening capacity and community-perspective for CMPH and CNHS researchers who conduct Indigenous health-related research
  • Initiating group-planning to improve CMPH Indigenous student recruitment, retention, successful graduation and pathways to future employment

Indigenous get-together

Networking and developing ways to work collaboratively (despite geographical challenges) was the focus of an Indigenous staff get-together session, which was fuelled by vibrant discussion around Indigenous staff training and professional development, research aspirations, and support networks.

Research showcase

Indigenous community well-being and care framed an Indigenous research showcase that featured more than twenty short presentations by College staff. Speakers from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research units of the Southgate Institute and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute shared their research, together with other presenters on topics as diverse as policy, cultural safety training, Point-of-Care testing, and remote services and innovations.

Student outcomes

A workshop on Indigenous student recruitment, retention and support commenced with an inspiring round of introductions (“Who’s your mob and where are you from?”), followed by presentations on Flinders health-related courses, current recruitment measures, and student support services available. With a strong desire to enhance the student experience across all Flinders campuses, a decision was made to form a working party to continue these valuable discussions.

The two-day forum was designed as an initial step in an ongoing collaborative effort to realise the aims of the CMPH’s new Indigenous health strategy. Feedback from participants indicated a desire to keep discussions flowing, and the event is anticipated to become an annual collaboration.

For further information on the initiative please contact Liz Larkin, Executive Officer for the Poche Centres for Indigenous Health and Well-Being, Adelaide and Northern Territory.

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