Indigenous Health Scholarship Program

Currently working as a dentist in the public health sector in the Northern Territory I am excited to pursue higher education through James Cook University as I endeavour to contribute to positive change and equitable health for people in communities like those in which I am fortunate enough to practice.

On completing my degree in Bachelor of Psychological Science, I will be in a better position to make a positive contribution to the Indigenous community as a qualified professional, but also being a professional recognised and accredited health professional. As a qualified Indigenous Psychologist, I can make unique contribution in that being an Aboriginal person, I am able to understand the same issues from an Indigenous perspective to be able to work in a culturally appropriate and sensitive manner and have the ability to deal with complex Indigenous health related issues.

Coming from a largely populated region of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic health conditions and a 10-year gap of life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. I have always been passionate about working in the health field and found that nursing was for me. I have experienced this firsthand wit my immediate family members suffering from diabetes, obesity, heart and lung disease just to name a few. I believe being a nurse will fulfill my career and life goals by helping make a difference within my community – Torres Strait Islanders. A nurse’s beliefs and values should be focused on being honest by showing integrity, being compassionate and being empathetic just to name a few that I think are crucial in nursing care. Being Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander growing up on Thursday Island in the Torres Straits has played a very important part in my life and will play a big part in my nursing career.

I am a proud Ngiyampaa Wangaaypuwan man from Cobar, NSW. I grew up in the regional town of Toowoomba and have always had strong connection to Indigenous and rural health care, through the Carbal Medical Centre. I particularly gained an understanding of the rural environment through my school, which had an emphasis on boarding students from isolated rural communities, many of whom were my friends.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People experience the greatest health disparity of any race in Australia. This can be traced back to colonisation and the creation of assimilation and protectionism policies and programs that were introduced with the goal of the eradication of First Nations People. Being displaced, forcibly removed, relocated, and denied access to Country, lore, identity, family, and community by settlers continues to have ongoing effects on the social and cultural determinants of health for First Nations People. Evidence shows that understanding and addressing the cultural and social determinants of health are imperative to improving health outcomes for First Nations People.

My name is Mollie Scofield and I am starting my second year in a dual degree in Nursing and Public Health at Queensland University of Technology. I am a proud Mardigan woman, who grew up and is still growing up on Jarowair and Giabal land. I have been extremely fortunate to have the support system that has allowed me to become the first person in my family to attend university.

I am a proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait woman of the Bindal and Wagadagum tribes. Becoming a registered midwife on Thursday Island will allow me to evoke change and introduce traditional pregnancy and birthing customs. My passion for midwifery stems from my own unpleasant experiences whilst in the care of the public healthcare system. I am highly motivated to create change to ensure my daughters and future generations do not encounter the current healthcare system in the manner I have.

My name is Chicarnee Pickering and I am a proud member of the Larrakia tribe, traditional owners of the Darwin region. I am currently in my second last year of university, studying the Bachelor of Health, Sport and Physical Education at the University of Queensland. I am an active member of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit and was selected to represent the university at the Indigenous Unigames in 2019 and 2021. As well as this, I represented the ATSI student community as one of the Goorie Officers in 2020, where I voiced the concerns of our collective and worked with the University of Queensland (UQ) Union to promote a culturally safe environment for our people I currently represent the university in AFL, playing in both premier league and reserve grade, and am sponsored by the club as a part of their Indigenous support program.

As a medical student I am very passionate about Indigenous Health and working towards improving the future of health care delivery among the Indigenous population. I am a keen student with a passion of learning. For as long as I can remember I have been eager to understand the complexities of the human body and be involved in improving the delivery of health care. I am empathetic at heart and have a strong desire to be able to serve the wider community and peoples of all backgrounds by providing the best possible health care outcomes.

For as long as I can remember I have always been passionate about helping others, instilling positive change and guiding people to pursuing a healthier lifestyle. Thankfully, the opportunity ACU has given me to pursue my lifelong career goal builds the foundation for me to achieve these changes I have always wanted to in life by becoming a physiotherapist.