Indigenous Health Scholarship Program

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.