On April 12 all Academic staff at NewMed participated in critical cultural safety training facilitated by the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA), reinforcing their commitment to embedding culturally safe practices within the NewMedl program and clinical interactions with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients. This proactive initiative aims to address systemic health inequities and ensure future doctors are equipped to provide respectful and responsive care.
The AIDA-led training provides a vital framework for understanding the historical and ongoing impacts of colonisation on the health and wellbeing of First Nations peoples. By engaging directly with this curriculum, NewMed’s educators are enhancing their capacity to weave cultural safety into every aspect of the medical curriculum, from basic sciences to complex clinical scenarios.
This commitment extends beyond the physical and virtual classroom. NewMed academic staff are dedicated to modelling culturally safe behaviours and allyship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and communities in their own clinical work, creating role models for their students. This involves fostering respectful communication, understanding the importance of family and community connections in health decisions, and recognising the central role of culture in the healing process.
By championing these principles, NewMed is not only striving to create a more inclusive learning environment but is also taking a definitive step towards graduating a new generation of medical professionals who are genuinely prepared to partner with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and contribute to closing the health gap.
NewMed wishes to thank AIDA and our facilitators on the day Dr Olivia O’Donoghue and Dr Jacinta Power, along with AIDA Senior Project Officer Samara Williams for generously sharing their time and experience in an enjoyable, educational and collegial manner.
