Monash University Department of Rural and Indigenous Health

Indigenous Health Unit

History and vision

The Indigenous Health Unit (IHU) is a separate unit within MUDRIH. We are based at Moe in Gippsland, but our influences are felt far and wide. Our team consists of 5 staff members and is expanding. Associate Professor Marlene Drysdale guides the growth and progress of the IHU. The IHU team is involved in teaching, research, and projects that investigate and deliver information about Indigenous health to students in all disciplines within the Faculty.

Although the IHU was formally established as its own entity in 2002, its roots go much further back than that. It has grown out of the Faculty’s recognition of the need to embed in its curricula a better understanding of Indigenous health and its social determinants, and to better prepare students to become culturally competent professionals. In teaching future health professionals, the Unit embraces the recommendations of several key documents for graduating students who will be reflective and holistic in their approach to Indigenous people and their health. The ultimate aim is to contribute to an improvement in the health of Indigenous Australians.

Our guiding principles are based on recognition of the diversity and uniqueness of Indigenous experience, communities and culture, and the need for Indigenous Australians to have equity of access to good health care and freedom from racism and discrimination. The experience of Indigenous people is different to other minority groups in Australia and this guides our teaching objectives within mainstream curricula as well as strategies for encouraging Indigenous students into medicine, nursing and the health sciences. Our aim is to encourage all health students to consider working in Indigenous health in rural, remote and metropolitan locations.

The IHU aspires to be a Centre of Excellence with increased staff capacity and the development of significant on-going funding and research. This capacity will draw inspiration from and contribute to important collaborations with national and international stakeholders and key organisations with the long term aim to underpin and strengthen Indigenous empowerment in their health care services. At the local level, the IHU has built and will expand upon alliances and collaborations with rural Indigenous communities to benefit those communities and enable health students’ experience within Indigenous community health services. The IHU will pursue its aim to have Indigenous health as an integral component of all health curricula. It will also strive to encourage Indigenous students into and be successful in health careers.