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‘It wasn't just the academic stuff, it was life stuff’: the significance of peers in strengthening the Indigenous health researcher workforce

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 September 2020

Tess Ryan ,
Shaun Ewen  and
Chris Platania-Phung
Tess Ryan*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Arts and Design, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory2601, Australia
Shaun Ewen
Affiliation:
Melbourne Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria3010, Australia
Chris Platania-Phung
Affiliation:
Australian College of Applied Psychology, Navitas, Melbourne, Victoria3000, Australia
*
Author for correspondence: Tess Ryan, E-mail: teryan@acu.edu.au
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Abstract

Health research remains a vital activity of Indigenous health workforces. This paper reports on the main findings of yarning interviews with 14 Indigenous researchers, that was central to a project analysing the role of research training infrastructures in strengthening the Indigenous health research workforce in Australia. The findings highlighted Indigenous researcher peers as core sources of inspiration, moral support and sustenance in academia and in life. Peer generative power arising from peer groups provide a unique enriching to the educational and research experience. Indigenous researcher peers have a strong shared aspiration to champion change to health research and higher education as a key pathway to widespread positive impacting on health and well-being. We suggest the (revived) development at a collective level of a strategic and planned approach to capitalising on the positive outcomes of peer generated leadership and support.

Keywords

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderhealth workforcehigher educationpeersresearch capacity building
Type
Research Article
Information
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education , Volume 49 , Special Issue 2: Critical conversations on higher education as an enabler to building an Indigenous health workforce , December 2020 , pp. 135 - 144
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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