News and events

Conferences

Population Health Congress 2008 - A Global World - Practical Action for Health and Well-being
7 - 9 July 2008, Brisbane, Queensland

Australasia's four population health professional organisations (Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine, Public Health Association of Australia, Australian Health Promotion Association and Australasian Epidemiological Association) working together to strengthen the focus on population health in the region.

Major themes of the conference will include:

• Environment and Health
• Social Cohesion, Social Capital and Health
• Food and Health

For further information contact:
Conference Coordinators
PO Box 139
Calwell 2905 ACT
Ph: (02) 6292 9000
Email: congress2008@confco.com.au

For regular updates on conference:
Website: http://www.populationhealthcongress.org.au

 

Making it happen: responding to Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) issues across the sectors
12 - 13 May 2009, Fremantle, Western Australia

The Making it Happen Conference is a collaborative event organised by the Western Australian Drug and Alcohol Office, Palmerston Association, Department for Child Protection, Department of Corrective Services, Department of the Attorney General and the Mental Health Division (Department of Health).

The 2009 Conference is unique in that it is the first time these government and non-government agencies from specialist drug and mainstream sectors will come together to present best practice interventions and initiatives to respond to clients affected by drug and alcohol issues.

This event will provide numerous opportunities for professional networking, collaboration, discussion and debate around the Conference title: “Making it Happen”: Responding to alcohol and other drug issues across the sectors.

Keynote speakers:

• Professor Richard Velleman, University of Bath Mental Health Research and Development Unit
• Professor David Castle, Chair of Psychiatry St Vincent's Hospital
• Dr Scott D. Miller, Co-director Institute for the Study of Therapeutic Change, Chicago, USA
• Dr Toni Makkai, Dean College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University
• The Hon Wayne Martin, Chief Justice of Western Australia
• Associate Professor Amanda Baker, NHMRC Senior Research Fellow Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle
• Associate Professor Simon Lenton, Associate Professor & Deputy Director National Drug Research Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University of Technology
• Associate Professor Colleen Hayward, Manager, Kulunga Research Network, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research

For further information contact:
EECW
PO Box 749
Wembley, WA 6913
Ph: (08) 9389 1488
Fax: (08) 9389 1499
Email: info@eecw.com.au
Website: Making it Happen

Scholarships

The Australian Health Promotion Association Scholarships

The Australian Health Promotion Association (AHPA), with continued funding support from Healthway, are offering 6 six-month health promotion scholarships in 2008 two areas:
1) 3 x Graduate Scholarships   - for newly graduated health promotion students
2) 3 x ATSI Scholarships - for Indigenous people wanting to further their
health promotion skills/experience

The scholarships offer not-for-profit health or relevant community organisations (including government departments) funds to cover six-months wages and limited on-costs. There are extra funds available to support travel and accommodation costs for applicants who chose to go remote or rural.  In return, the agency needs to provide an appropriately experienced health promotion supervisor and a suitable six-month project.  The project can form part of an existing program within an organisation or maybe a new initiative where planning has been undertaken, as long as it has a defined and measurable objective.

Contact:
Janet Gethin, Executive Officer
Australian Health Promotion Association (WA Branch)
PO Box 1825, Subiaco 6904
Ph: (08) 9382 5921
Fax: (08) 9388 3383
Email: ahpa@heartfoundation.org.au
Website: www.healthpromotion.org.au

 

Health Promotion Research Training Scholarships 2008 - Healthway

Healthway are offering research scholarships, one Indigenous scholarship and one Research fellowship, to individuals to develop skills, expertise and experience specifically in health promotion research.

For further information contact:
Healthway
Ph: (08) 9476 7000
Fax: (08) 9324 1145
Email: healthway@healthway.wa.gov.au
View scholarship information
View website

 

Job vacancies

Position Vacant - Alcohol Drug and Mental Health Team Coordinator

Fitzroy Crossing, Western Australia

Nindilingarri Cultural Health Services (Fitzroy Crossing, Western Australia) is looking for a suitably qualified Coordinator for their Alcohol Drug and Mental Health Team.

Nindilingarri Cultural Health Services (NCHS) is an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation servicing the Fitzroy Valley in the heart of the Kimberley region of Western Australia. NCHS is committed to delivering a range of holistic and culturally appropriate health promotion, disease prevention, environmental health and aged care services to an Indigenous population amongst whom traditional law, language and cultural practices remain strong.

The successful applicant for this position will;

• play a pivotal role in the further development and implementation of the NCHS pilot ADMH program.
• work closely with members of the ADMH Team, as well as other services and organizations within the region.
• provide leadership and management to the ADMH Team while developing and delivering innovative and culturally appropriate ADMH Health Promotion strategies to the Fitzroy Valley Aboriginal Communities.
• provide day-to-day administration, HR management, effective liaison with funding bodies and relevant key stakeholders and will play a key role in supporting and maintaining the Partnership with the State Health Services.
• have a degree and leadership experience in, Alcohol and Drug health promotion, preferably in an Indigenous health setting.

All appointments are subject to satisfactory police and working with children clearances.

Excellent employment conditions apply including salary packaging and generous remuneration and leave. Relocation assistance and subsidised housing apply to appointments from outside the Fitzroy Valley.

Closing date: Saturday 9th August 2008

For an information package including position description and selection criteria please contact:
Patricia Muir
Director of Services
Ph: (08) 9193 0093
Email: nindilingarri@nindilingarri.org.au

Past Events

Good Tucker - Good Health: National Nutrition Networks Conference '08
11 - 14 March 2008, Alice Springs, Northern Territory

The Nutrition Networks conference is administered by the National Rural Health Alliance and is supported by the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition Strategy and Action Plan (NATSINSAP) 2000 - 2010. Nutrition Networks' conferences have a significant past and strong focus on nutrition issues and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people involved with food and nutrition programs.

The aims of this conference were to:

• provide an environment that enables Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to share thoughts, knowledge and experiences in food and nutrition;
• inspire people working in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander food, nutrition and health area to support, share, network and learn together; and
• advocate for nutrition to be at the forefront of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander agenda.

View conference information

For further information contact:
The National Rural Health Alliance
10 Campion St  
Deakin ACT 2600
Ph: (02) 6285 4660
Fax: (02) 6285 4670
Website: www.ruralhealth.org.au

Aboriginal Health Promotion Forum
1 May 2007, Adelaide, South Australia

A one day forum was organised to explore health equity in Aboriginal health promotion practice. The aim of the forum, which preceded the Australian Health Promotion Association National Conference, was for participants to develop a set of principles that define health equity for Aboriginal health promotion practice.

Keynote speaker was Professor Shane Houston.

 

Australian Health Promotion Association 17th National Conference
2 - 4 May 2007, Adelaide, South Australia

The theme of the national conference of the Australian Health Promotion Association was: Grass Roots to Global Action: Health Promotion in Challenging Environments.
View website

 

Start out strong: a national symposium promoting healthy pregnancy in Indigenous communities

The national symposium Start out strong: a healthy beginning in life, was held in Perth, Western Australia, 9-10 May 2006. The symposium was organised by the Child Health Research Institute and the Rio Tinto Child Health Partnership, and also sponsored by the Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, Department of Health and Ageing, and the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation Ltd.

The aim of the symposium was to:

• link Aboriginal health care providers with evidence and key resources in the area of healthy pregnancy and child health;
• provide networking opportunities between community-based health care providers, policy makers and researchers; and
• assist other jurisdictions that have prioritised maternal and child health to fast track the learnings from successful projects.

The theme for the symposium was on promoting a healthy pregnancy with a particular focus on programs that are achieving good outcomes in the areas of:

• reducing substance use during pregnancy;
• improved nutrition (including breastfeeding); and
• the first years of life.

The proceedings started with a welcome to country by Nyungar Elder, Marie Taylor. The opening address was by Professor Fiona Stanley, Director, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research and Chair, National Advisory Committee, Rio Tinto Child Health Partnership.

The International Keynote address was presented by:

• Dr Caroline Tait, Assistant Professor, Indigenous Peoples' Health Research Centre, University of Saskatchewan (Canada) - Success stories from Canada.

Other keynote addresses were presented by:

• Professor Anne Bartu - Clinical guidelines for managing drug use in pregnancy, birth and the early development years of the unborn.
• Shawn Boyle, Director, Social Policy Unit, WA Department of Premier and Cabinet - The Government's early years agenda for Aboriginal communities.

An opportunity to showcase success stories in Australia included the Train-the-trainer model in QLD by Audrey Deemal, Capacity building in the Northern Territory by Fred Stacey and the Rio Tinto child health partnership in WA North by John Dean.

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet staff Bronwyn Gee, Kim Hansen and Sandra Harben ran a HealthInternet café at the symposium. Professor Neil Thomson, Director of the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet was also present to lend a hand.

For further information regarding the symposium contact:
The Kulunga Research Network, PO Box 855, West Perth WA 6872, ph: (08) 9489 7777, email: enquire-kulunga@ichr.uwa.edu.au.

We'd like to thank the conference participants who provided written permission for us to display their photos here.

 

Australian Health Promotion Association Conference
23-26 April 2006
Alice Springs, Northern Territory

The 16th National Health Promotion conference was held in Alice Springs, NT. The theme was - Health Promotion Dreaming: shifting the sands.

Watch the Australian Health Promotion Association website for information on presentations.
View website

 

Australian Indigenous Health Promotion Network Workshop
23 April 2006, Alice Springs, Northern Territory

As part of the 16th National Health Promotion Conference in April 2006, the Australian Indigenous Health Promotion Network (AIHPN) held a workshop in which 65 health professionals, with a diverse range of experience in Indigenous health, participated. The aim of the workshop was to provide the opportunity to discuss Indigenous health promotion in the context of the Ottawa Charter and suggest components of an Australian Indigenous health promotion model. Ownership, empowerment, consultation and partnerships were identified as essential elements in Indigenous health promotion. The AIHPN produced a workshop report which contains a set of recommendations regarding the development of an Indigenous health promotion model.

The workshop report has been reproduced here with the kind permission of the Australian Indigenous Health Promotion Knowledge Network

Australian Indigenous Health Promotion Network (2006)
Australian Indigenous health promotion network workshop report: working towards an Indigenous model of health promotion.
Sydney: Australian Indigenous Health Promotion Network
View workshop report (PDF - 75KB)

• For further information:
  • contact Louise Salkeld, project officer Australian Indigenous Health Promotion Knowledge Network, ph: (02) 9036 7113, email: indig@health.usyd.edu.au, website: http://www.indigenoushealth.med.usyd.edu.au/

For more information about health promotion conferences refer to the Australian Health Promotion Association website.
View conference page

For information on 'What's on in health' refer to the calendar compiled by the Department of Health, Western Australia.
View calendar