MUDRIH Building Extensions
Official Opening
It was good health news for Gippsland recently when Mr Russell Broadbent MP, Member for McMillan, officially opened our new offices and teaching facilities in Moe.
MUDRIH, the eleventh and most recent University Department of Rural Health funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, celebrated the opening of 288 square meters of new office and teaching space on 15 May 2009.
‘We are very grateful to receive the additional funding that enables us to expand and provide teaching facilities to students and health professionals in rural Victoria and work with the community to improve rural health’ said our Acting Director Associate Professor Janice Chesters.
MUDRIH works to improve the recruitment, retention and education of health students and professionals in Gippsland and other parts of rural Victoria.
Head of our Indigenous Health Unit Associate Professor Marlene Drysdale said, ‘we are proud of our record in improving the recruitment and retention of students to health science courses but we can always do more and the new facilities will make this work easier’.
In recognition of Monash’s significant contribution to a wide range of rural health activities that extended beyond the medical education brief of its Rural Clinical Schools, the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) provided funding to establish a Centre for Multi-Disciplinary Studies in Rural Health in 2002.
In June 2006 the CMDS was officially recognised and funded as a University Department of Rural Health (UDRH) and the Monash University Department of Rural and Indigenous Health was established (MUDRIH). MUDRIH was launched by Mr Russell Broadbent MP, Member for McMillan on 10th November 2006.
In 2007 DoHA recognised our need for increased teaching and academic space and funded a $ 937,687.00 (including GST) extension project. In July 2008 DoHA granted MUDRIH full UDRH funding and we had the opportunity to recruit some key new staff. In May we launched our new space with an impressive team in place and we are ready to continue our work in improving rural and Indigenous health. We wish to thank DoHA for its advice, support and ongoing collaboration.
LEFT: MUDRIH Conference Room, part of the new building extension which also contains extra office space
CENTRE: Duka opens the event with a memorable performance on the didgeridoo
RIGHT: Aunty Sarah Morgan conducts Welcome to Country for the opening
LEFT: Associate Professor Marlene Drysdale, Head of Indigenous Health at MUDRIH addresses the guests
CENTRE: Associate Professor Janice Chesters, Acting Director of MUDRIH addresses the guests
RIGHT: Professor Gordon White, Head of the School of Rural Health addresses the guests
LEFT: Russell Broadbent MP addresses the guests
CENTRE: Russell Broadbent MP and Aunty Sarah Morgan unveil the plaque with Gordon White, Marlene Drysdale and Janice Chesters
RIGHT: Russell Broadbent MP and Aunty Sarah Morgan show off the MUDRIH coffee mugs
