Janya McCalman Lowitja Institute International Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Conference 2016

Janya McCalman

Associate Professor Mark Wenitong is from Kabi Kabi tribal group of South Queensland. He is the Senior Medical Officer at Apunipima Cape York Health Council, where he is working on health reform across the Cape York Aboriginal communities. Dr Wenitong is a past president and founder of the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association and was a member on the National Health and Medical Research Committee - National Health Committee for the last three triennium. Dr Wenitong has been heavily involved in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce and has helped develop several national workforce documents, sits on the COAG Australian Health Workforce Advisory Council. He is involved in clinical and policy work with the aim of improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health outcomes in Australia. He has received the 2011 AMA Presidents Award for Excellence in Healthcare, and the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Council Hall of Fame award (2010). Mark is co-presenting with Associate Professor Janya McCalman, a public health researcher with a background in health promotion practice. She ha worked across diverse multi-method research projects with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partners over the last 15 years, including in mental health, social and emotional wellbeing, youth health, maternal and child health, health services research and implementation research. She has led systematic literature reviews, participatory action research, grounded theory and impact evaluation research projects which seek to inform improvements in resilience, empowerment-based health and wellbeing and the implementation of health programs and services.