Ngai nari Jonathan Warritya Newchurch, Ngai yaitya miyu Kaurna Narungga anangku, Ngai Mikawomangga warni. ‘My name is Jonathan Second Born Male Newchurch, I am an Indigenous man of Kaurna and Narungga. I was born on the Mika plains, now known as the suburb of Woodville.’
I am a proud yaitya miyu (Indigenous man) of both Kaurna and Narungga heritage. My roots run into the heart of Kaurna Yarta (land), where I was raised in Tarntanyangga, known to many as Adelaide. My connection to this land and its traditions not only shapes my personal identity but greatly influences my professional journey in the medical field.
I hold a medical degree from Adelaide University. I went on to complete General Practice training, where my experiences took me across varied landscapes – from rural and remote clinics to the pivotal role in Aboriginal Medical Services. These diverse exposures enriched my perspective and solidified my commitment to providing holistic and culturally sensitive care. Eager to expand my horizons further, I delved into training in GP Anaesthetics. The intricacies of this domain provided a fresh challenge and allowed me to refine my expertise. My thirst for knowledge then led me to the realm of Pain Medicine. Working in public and private pain clinics, I’ve witnessed the intricate relationship between physical pain and emotional well-being, fostering a deeper understanding and empathy towards those I serve. Currently, I channel my experience and knowledge as a Principal Investigator in Clinical Trials. Here, I engage in research, striving to bridge the gaps in medical understanding and seeking novel solutions to health challenges.
Bozhoo, my name is Michael Dumont. I am Anishinaabe (Marten Clan), a member of Shawanaga First Nation and I also carry mixed European ancestry. I am honoured to live as a guest on the unceded land of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples, where I raise my 2yo daughter Evie. As a family physician, I am privileged to work both on and off reserve in community primary care. I helped to establish Lu’ma Medical Centre in 2016, where I currently serve as Medical Director. We incorporate traditional Indigenous and Western medical approaches in our two-eyed seeing model of care, with Elders and Traditional Healers working alongside Indigenous physicians, nurses, counselors and social navigators. We are a core learning site for the Indigenous Family Medicine Residency program at UBC, where I also do some teaching with the undergraduate and postgraduate medical programs.
I am proud to partner with Musqueam First Nation to deliver primary care on-reserve, and I currently serve as spokesperson for the First Nations and Aboriginal Primary Care Network (a partnership of 8 Indigenous owned/operated clinics across Metro Vancouver). A member of IPAC since 2016, I currently sit on the Champions Committee. This work has been fun and rewarding – we seek to celebrate our colleagues (students, residents, early career and established physicians) through award nominations and other honours. I believe we benefit collectively by spotlighting the amazing work of Indigenous physician leaders and ultimately, this elevates us to greater spheres of influence where we can effectively advocate for better care for Indigenous people.
Dr Mania is a Māori GP registrar (family doctor), living and working in the rural, Hawkes Bay town of Te Wairoa, Aotearoa/NZ. Te Wairoa is a unique community where the Māori population are the majority (60%). Mania and her partner Dr Turuki Tahuri (family doctor) share a love for health equity, and are raising their three children immersed in Te Reo Māori & Tikanga Māori (Māori language and customs). Their children attend Kōhanga Reo (Māori immersion pre-school) and Kura Kaupapa Māori (Māori immersion school). In addition to her Bachelor of Medicine and bachelor of Surgery - Auckland University, and post-graduate diploma in Paediatrics, she attained a Bachelor of Māori Performing arts through Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiarangi. Te Pōkaitara is an academy of excellence in Māori language and Māori customs founded by Sir Tīmoti Kāretu (Tūhoe, Ngāti Kahungunu), of which Mania was awarded Valedictorian for the year 2024.
Dr. Wong is a Native Hawaiian physician, a graduate of the inaugural MD-granting class of the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) in 1975. Following completion of a Residency in Family Medicine, Dr. Wong elected to establish his practice with the Hawaii Permanente Medical Group (HPMG) primarily working in West and Central O’ahu. After his retirement from HPMG in 2009, he took a position with Kamehameha Schools as Medical Director until his full retirement in 2014. He is a long-time member of ‘Ahahui o Na Kauka and currently serves on the Community Advisory Committee to JABSOM’s ‘Imi Ho’ola program, which seeks to provide students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds and medically underserved communities in Hawai’i with the opportunity to prepare for and succeed in medical school. He is a member of the Native Hawaiian Community Advisory Board to the UH Cancer Center, currently active in a program, Ku Ola, which seeks to reduce rates of illness and death, particularly with cancer, among Native Hawaiian men/kane in ways consistent with our culture. Dr. Wong has participated in multiple voyages of the wa’a kaulua Hokule’a as crew/medical officer since 1980 and currently serves on the Board of the Polynesian Voyaging Society.
Dr. Owen is a member of the Auk Kwaan Tribe of the Tlingit people. She is the Associate Dean of Native American Health at the University of Minnesota Medical School. On graduation from the University of Minnesota Medical School and Family Practice Residency Program, she returned home to work for her tribal community in Juneau, Alaska. In 2014, after eleven years of full-scope family medicine, she returned to the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth as the Director of the Center of American Indian and Minority Health (CAIMH). Her work includes: developing regional and national programs to increase the numbers of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) students entering medical careers, outreaching to local and national Native leaders to ensure that the University of Minnesota Medical School remains in tune with AIAN healthcare and education needs, teaching medical students and health care providers important components of providing healthcare to AIAN communities and developing research efforts to address AIAN health disparities. She continues to provide clinical care at the Center of American Indian Resources in Duluth and is the immediate Past-President of the Association of American Indian Physicians.
Dr Kang is of the Rukay People, one of the 16 Taiwan indigenous tribes. He studied a medical degree at Kaoshiong Medical University. Dr Kang has been working as director and physician of Township Health Centers in Haulien County for more than 30 years. The people he has served include Han Chinese, Ataya, Paywan, and Rukay peoples.
Associate Professor Kao is of the Amis People, one of the 16 Taiwan indigenous tribes. Associate Professor Kao received her PhD at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London. After returning to Taiwan, Associate Professor Kao started working at Tzu Chi University, focusing on mental health issues of Indigenous Peoples. Associate Professor Kao, alongside members of MAIPT, drafted and advocated the Indigenous Health Act (IHA) which was finally approved in the legislature after 14 years of persistent advocating.
Since 2010, Associate Professor Kao has been working with local health centres and collaborating with several medical schools to address barriers faced by Indigenous Peoples when using health care services. Since then, Associate Professor Kao has worked with MAIPT to develop, implement, evaluate and revise teaching and training programs aiming at improving the provision of culturally safe health care services.
Ngadlu Kaurna yartangka inparringutha.
Ngadlu-rlu Kaurna miyurna, yaitya mathanya Wama Tarntanyaku pukinangku tarrkarri-arra tampinthi.
Ngadlu-rlu Kaurna miyurna parnaku yarta, yailtya, tapa purruna tampinthi.
Ngadlu-rlu Kaurna Pukiana miyurna puki-puki-nangku, Kaurna Purkarna yalaka tampinthi.
Ngadlu-rlu yaitya miyurna iyangka yalaka kumarta pangkarra Wirltuthidnanangku, kumarta pangkarra warrunangku tampinthi.
We acknowledge and pay our respects to the Kaurna people, the traditional custodians whose ancestral lands we will gather on.
We acknowledge and respect the Kaurna people’s cultural, spiritual, physical and emotional connection with their land, waters and community. We pay respect to elders both past and present. We extend that respect to other First Nations People and their Indigenous lands across the globe.
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