Indigenous health the focus of UNE public lecture
The Vice-President of the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association, Associate Professor Peter O’Mara, will give this year’s Frank Archibald Memorial Lecture at the University of New England.
Titled “Improving Indigenous Health”, the lecture will be at UNE’s Oorala Aboriginal Centre at 7.30 pm on Thursday 10 July.
Dr O’Mara (pictured here), who is from the Wiradjuri people of NSW, studied medicine at the University of Newcastle and completed his internship in Mackay, Queensland – “a great experience,” he says, “in a laid-back town with a large Indigenous population”. He returned to NSW on the rural GP training program, and now works in general practice and Indigenous health. He is an Associate Professor of Indigenous Medical Education and Head of Indigenous Health at the University of Newcastle.
“My aim is to assist in achieving equality of health and life for all Indigenous Australians,” Dr O’Mara says.
His lecture at UNE will examine the work of the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association in developing policies and improving the Indigenous health workforce. He will provide an overview of some of the Association’s current projects, and give his own perspective on some of the recent developments in training for Registrars and Fellows of the Royal Australian College of General Practice.
The lecture is free, and everyone is welcome. It will be followed by supper in the foyer of the Oorala Centre.
UNE established the Frank Archibald Memorial Lecture series to honour Frank Archibald, a revered member of the Armidale community who died in 1975. He was renowned for his knowledge of – and interest in – all Aboriginal issues, particularly the education of his people. The most recent presenters of the annual lecture, organised by the Oorala Aboriginal Centre, have been Aden Ridgeway, Deborah Cheetham, Noel Tovey and Rachael Maza.