Welcome to Yaitya Purruna Indigenous Health Unit

We at Yaitya Purruna acknowledge and pay our respects to the Kaurna people, the traditional custodians whose ancestral lands we gather on. We acknowledge the deep feelings of attachment and relationship of the Kaurna people to country and we respect and value their past, present and ongoing connection to the land and cultural beliefs.

Yaitya Purruna, Kaurna language of the Adelaide Plains meaning ‘Our Own Health and Wellbeing’, Indigenous Health Unit was established in 2000 to accommodate the increasing numbers of Indigenous staff and students in the Faculty of Health Sciences. It provides an important base for the continued development and implementation of Indigenous health and education initiatives in the Faculty, and is utilised as a resource in Indigenous health and culture by staff and students across the Faculty.

Yaitya Purruna Indigenous Health Unit provides

• A culturally safe space for Indigenous students studying in the Faculty of Health Sciences in Medicine, Dentistry,Oral Health, Nursing Psychology and Health Sciences, including the provision of academic resources, computers and tutorial room facilities.
• Academic expertise and networks in Indigenous health and cultural issues for Faculty of Health Sciences staff and students, particularly for the development of Indigenous health initiatives in the curriculum
• A cultural focal point for Aboriginal and Islander community organisations and representatives visiting the Faculty;
• An appropriate place to conduct Indigenous student recruitment and retention programs; monitor and evaluate the progress of Indigenous students entering the Faculty through the Aboriginal Access Scheme; contribute to policy development regarding Indigenous student admissions and retention; monitor potential student information and liaise with the appropriate organisations regarding appropriate pathways for student access to courses.
• Teaching of the Indigenous Health Elective for 2nd year Medical and Health Science students
• A centralised base for Indigenous health research and innovation.

Contact us if:

1. You are an Indigenous prospective student or parent of a student interested in becoming a Doctor, Dentist, Nurse, Oral Health specialist, Psychologist or Health Scientist.
   It is critical that contact is made as soon as possible (prior to April 2009) as there are important cut of dates in relation to admission requirements for these programs.
2. You are an academic or postgraduate student interested in Indigenous health research.
3. You are a tutor keen to provide academic support for Indigenous students in Faculty of Health Science programs.