Collaboration supporting a nationally accessible MPH specialisation in Indigenous health

The Lowitja Institute supported the implementation of a national Indigenous health specialisation in the Master of Public Health (MPH). The MPH delivered postgraduate units in Indigenous health research and knowledge management to those working in health services, policy settings and research institutions. Students studying for a Master of Public Health (MPH) qualification at the University of Melbourne and the University of Queensland  are now able to specialise in Indigenous health. It is anticipated that this ‘specialist stream’ will be available to students studying at other Australian universities.

A project team led by Leanne Coombe from the Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit, part of the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Health and Society, worked with the University of Queensland to combine their separate Indigenous units into a specialist stream. A trial of the new specialist stream began in the first semester of 2012 and both universities signed a Memorandum of Understanding giving effect to the new cross-institutional enrolment model.