Sharing knowledge at the World Indigenous Cancer Conference
20 March 2024
This week Peter Mac has been at the World Indigenous Cancer Conference in Naarm/Melbourne.
Leading First Nations community members, clinicians, researchers, and advocates from across Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada met to share their work under the theme ‘Process. Progress. Power.’
They also led productive discussions about self-determination and how to achieve system-level change to improve cancer care and outcomes for Indigenous people.
Members of Peter Mac’s Aboriginal Health, Diversity & Inclusion, Nursing, and Partnerships teams proudly shared the work they do to advance First Nations cancer research, and how the organisation provides a culturally safe environment.
On day one our Aboriginal Health Liaison Officers Jay Hamann and Andrea Casey led a yarning circle about creating culturally safe hospitals, alongside Yorta Yorta Elder and long-time Peter Mac advisor Aunty Pam Pederson.
“Everyone was so engaged and really got involved in sharing their stories,” says Jay, with Andrea adding, “It was good to hear from people in similar roles, and from Aboriginal nurses working in cancer services.”
Jay and Andrea also joined a popular panel discussion, which explored the need for culture and self-determination to be considered throughout the whole cancer experience – from prevention and diagnosis right through to palliation and survivorship.
With plenty of exciting research presented across all three days, Jay commented, “it’s great to see lots of people collaborating across borders. And to see lots of young community members passionate about research.”
Other themes included the need for patients and health workers’ cultural commitments to be understood and accommodated, and opportunities to incorporate traditional knowledge into First Nations cancer care.
Reflecting on the conference Andrea explained, “The thing that really struck me was that it doesn’t matter where in the world you are, Indigenous people are fighting the same battles, and face the same barriers.”
While there is so much work left to do to close the gap in cancer care, Peter Mac teams came away feeling positive and inspired.