Employing Indigenous methodologies to transform dental and medical education

Cathryn Forsyth; Peter Malouf; Stephanie Short; Michelle Irving; Marc Tennant; John Gilroy

doi:10.55146/ajie.v51i2.47

Authors

Cathryn Forsyth Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney
Peter Malouf Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney
Stephanie Short Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney
Michelle Irving Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney
Marc Tennant International Research Collaborative, Oral Health and Equity, The University of Western Australia.
John Gilroy Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55146/ajie.v51i2.47

Keywords:

Indigenous methodologies, dental, medical, Indigenous health outcomes

Abstract

Indigenous people in Australia experience considerably more dental and medical ill-health than non-Indigenous people. Cultural competence of dental and medical teams is crucial in the delivery of services to address these health disparities. Traditionally, cultural training has been incorporated later in health education curricula, resulting in students perceiving Indigenous health to be less important, relevant or useful in their future careers. Higher education institutions struggle to incorporate Indigenous culture into curricula to improve educational outcomes for Indigenous peoples and to increase cultural competence of staff and students. This study explores how a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers navigated the cultural interface to develop an Indigenous curricula model for dental and, potentially, medical programs in Australia. A team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous oral health, dental and social science researchers, together with a Cultural Competence Curriculum Review Reference Group comprising Indigenous and non-Indigenous members, successfully navigated the cultural interface. Collaborations between the reference group and research team at each phase of this research ensured authentication and validity of the data. This study highlights the importance of employing Indigenous methodologies when conducting Indigenous research to improve dental and medical health outcomes for Indigenous peoples.

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Author Biographies

Cathryn Forsyth, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney

Cathryn Forsyth is a registered dental therapist, educator and qualitative researcher. Cathryn implemented the Indigenous strategy and Oral Health in Society curricula in the Bachelor of Oral Health program, School of Dentistry, University of Sydney, for many years. Her research interests include Indigenous student recruitment and retention, cultural competence, community engagement and oral health promotion.

Peter Malouf, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney

Peter Malouf is an Aboriginal (Wakka Wakka and Wuli Wuli) public health researcher and health system executive with experience in research and evaluation focusing on health service, primary care and mental health in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. His expertise and skills are in quantitative research methods, systematic review and meta-analysis, mixed method, and evaluation.

Stephanie Short, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney

Stephanie Short is an experienced health sociologist and researcher, skilled in consulting, administration and education in Australia, Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia.

Michelle Irving, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney

Michelle Irving is a Senior Advisor for the Centre for Evidence and Implementation and an Adjunct A/Prof with the Menzies Centre for Health Policy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney. She has a PhD in implementation of evidence-based practice in chronic kidney disease and was an NHMRC Post-Doctoral Fellow in Translating Research into Practice (TRIP Fellow). Michelle’s research interests include translational research and evaluation, Indigenous health, cultural competence and improving oral health.

Marc Tennant, International Research Collaborative, Oral Health and Equity, The University of Western Australia.

Marc Tennant has been a member of The University of Western Australia academic staff since the early 1990s and is now Deputy Chair of Academic Board. He is Director and Founder of the International Research Collaborative – Oral Health and Equity (formally the Centre for Rural and Remote Oral Health). The collaborative (for over 20 years now) is a global leader in driving reform particularly focused on marginalisation and addressing health inequality.

John Gilroy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney

John Gilroy is an Aboriginal (Yuin) sociologist in Indigenous health, specialising in disability and ageing research and community development with Indigenous communities, government and non-government stakeholders. John is passionate about Aboriginal-owned and -driven research as a means to influence policy, having led many research projects in urban and rural/remote Indigenous communities.

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