Indigenous Health is not usually synonymous with good news, but a reception at UWA this week showed that generosity, collaboration and research is a winning formula in promoting Healthy Minds and Healthy Lives for Indigenous peoples in Australia.

When Greg and Kay Poche presented UWA with a $10,000,000 cheque to establish the WA-based Poche Centre for Indigenous Health in 2013, they would have been impressed by young UWA medical student Vinka Barunga.

Vinka had attended the ceremony to represent medical students from the School of Indigenous Studies and the Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health. At the time, she had completed the third year of her medical degree. 

The Poche Leadership Development Awards provide opportunities and support for Indigenous students in medicine, dentistry and health sciences to build their leadership skills and knowledge in health at local, national and international levels. The Poche Centre for Indigenous Health is pleased to present this Award to the following Indigenous medical students:

Culture and self-determination are key to reducing suicide in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, according to a recent roundtable of Indigenous Elders, youth leaders, health professionals, academics, social justice campaigners and government figures.

Co-sponsored by the UWA-based Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, the two-day roundtable was addressed by Canadian professor Michael Chandler, a highly regarded researcher on suicide prevention among Canada’s First Nations people.