Access to health care across Australia is uneven. Marginalised communities continue to experience significantly higher rates of chronic disease and mortality, while the demand for more health professionals who understand the needs of these communities is urgent and growing.
Situated within the Deakin School of Medicine, The Damion Drapac Centre for Equity in Health Professions Education undertakes a wide-reaching body of work shifting the way that health professionals are trained, with the goal being a workforce that is better equipped to meet the needs of the communities they will serve; in particular, rural, Indigenous, marginalised and other under-served community groups.
The Centre's key goals include:
- Find the health professions students our communities need; develop a comprehensive and coordinated program of outreach and health careers promotion to engage rural/regional, Indigenous, and underrepresented groups in health professions programs, promoting aspiration among potential students and accessibility of the courses
- Review and develop admission processes to promote recruitment of students from underrepresented or marginalised groups (e.g. alternative admission processes based on holistic models of potential rather than primarily using grade outcomes or exam performance)
- Undertake advocacy and development to mitigate financial and other barriers to training as a health professional, with a particular focus on rural and otherwise underrepresented groups. This includes management of the Drapac Scholars program and outreach to establish further philanthropic funding
- Establish coaching, mentoring and community building programs for students with a focus on diversity, representation, and professional identity formation
- Support health professions courses to strengthen their student support programs, including activities targeted to specific student groups (e.g. students with a disability, neurodivergent students, students with carer or employment responsibilities), as well as encouraging the use of individualised learning plans for any student needing accommodations to improve their learning experience, and advocating for greater peer and professional support after graduation
- Support health professions courses to review their structures and teaching practices to promote inclusion, remove barriers to diversity and enable all students to thrive and work towards sustainable careers which focus on serving their community
- Support health professions courses to strengthen their content and practice, covering diversity and equity in healthcare, generalist and holistic practice of healthcare, social justice and determinants of health, and community-based, interprofessional and integrative models of healthcare
- Coordinate a foundational scholarship program to support students from under-represented communities and give them the best chance of success.
This is all made possible by the Drapac family's remarkable gift – an unparalleled commitment to the University and the communities we serve. A gift and vision that will change the course of many lives and honour the memory of their beloved son, brother and Deakin alumnus – Dr Damion Drapac.
