Poche SA & NT: Activities for 2021-2023 ─ Delivering a pathway for change
September 2020
Improving the health of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people is widely recognised as requiring a holistic approach that includes, but also extends well beyond, medical intervention.
The Poche SA & NT centre is focused on building healthy country, healthy communities and health leaders throughout Australia’s central corridor, across the Northern Territory and South Australia. We are proud to have been founded through the initiative of philanthropists Greg Poche AO and Kay Van Norton Poche AO and as part of Flinders University.
Poche SA & NT builds on a history of innovation, seeking to establish new benchmarks for health leadership development and translational research outcomes. Our Centre will be led by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and guided by the communities that we seek to serve, facilitating genuine two-way knowledge transfer and communication. We will directly translate research outcomes into innovative health programs within Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities, while also informing researchers of priorities and knowledge from communities.
Closing the Gap requires innovative, community led approaches empowered by research, resourcing and best practice analysis, with a clear focus on increasing understanding of and outcomes from holistic approaches that improve the health of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
Our Vision
To deliver measurable improvements in the current and future health of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people through two-way knowledge transfer, research translation and holistic health leadership.
Our Mission
Poche SA & NT will serve as a key interface between Flinders University researchers, government and community, facilitating:
- Support and guidance for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health workers and leaders, developing a network of 200 health leaders by 2030.
- Facilitate the translation of research into programs and projects that significantly improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
- Research and build awareness and understanding of best practice approaches to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
- Enable two-way learning between Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous people, to build improved understanding of culture and holistic approaches to health.
Our Network of Support
Poche SA & NT is proud to be part of Flinders University and the Poche Indigenous Health Network. We have established collaborations with researchers, philanthropists, governments, communities and organisations across Australia, but intentionally place no limit on our current and future collaborators, funders and partners, so long as their work aligns with our vision and mission. We seek to work with partners nationally and internationally wherever it will help improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
Poche SA & NT is supported and guided by an Advisory Board, and inspired and informed by the researchers and communities we work with.