Honorary Lecturer and PhD Candidate Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit Executive Director, ABSTARR Consulting Tel: +61 3 9481 5040 Fax: +61 3 9481 5049 Email: gregory@abstarr.com Postal: PO Box 1171, Fitzroy North, Vic. 3068

Background

Gregory is Waanyi from Lawn hills in North West Queensland, and Jaru from the Kimberly. He has lived in Victoria and worked with Onemda since 2003. A medical anthropologist by training, Greg has a research Master’s degree in Medical Science, and a BA in Aboriginal Studies and Government, both from the University of Queensland. Greg has worked in community healing, health, leadership, youth and advocacy projects for many years both Australia-wide and internationally.

Greg's MA was published as a book, Addictions and Healing in Aboriginal Country, by Aboriginal Studies Press in 2003. The work is an empirical account of post-traumatic stress syndromes, addictions and healing in a remote north Queensland Aboriginal community. Greg is also a Founding Trustee of the National Indigenous Youth Movement of Australia.

Greg was employed by Onemda to manage the Medical Deans Indigenous Health Project (formerly the Committee of Deans of Australian Medical Schools – CDAMS Indigenous Health Curriculum Development Project). During his time with Onemda, Greg was responsible for developing a nationally accredited Indigenous health curriculum framework for all Australian medical schools, and for working with the accreditation body, the Australian Medical Council, to develop new accreditation standards for medical schools in Australia and New Zealand to be assessed against.

In addition to being an honorary lecturer and PhD candidate at Onemda, Greg is now in private consultancy. He is working in areas as diverse as health workforce policy, medical education, healing from addiction and trauma, and the impacts of addiction and trauma in the justice system.

Research Interests

• Culture and medicine
• Medical education and curriculum
• Health workforce policy
• Healing from addictions and trauma
• Post-traumatic stress syndromes

Recent Publications

Phillips, G. 2007, Healing and Public Policy. In Altman, J. and Hinkson, M. (Eds) Coercive Reconciliation: Stabilise, Normalise, Exit Aboriginal Australia. North Carlton: Arena Publications.

Mackean, T., Mokak, R., Carmichael, A., Phillips, G. L., Prideaux, D. & Walters, T. 2007, 'Reform in Australian Medical Schools: A collaborative approach to realising Indigenous health potential', Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 186, no. 10, pp. 544–6.

Phillips, G. 2005, 'Relationships, Respect and Responsibility': Cultural safety and ensuring quality curriculum for Indigenous health in medical education', in Australian Universities Quality Forum Proceedings, AUQA Occasional Paper No. 5, Sydney, pp. 131–5.

Phillips, G. 2005, 'Indigenous Australian Young Peoples: The winds of change', in Association of Asian Social Science Research Councils. Youth in Transition, Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, Canberra, pp. 110–18.

Phillips, G. 2004, CDAMS Indigenous Health Curriculum Framework, VicHealth Koori Health Research and Community Development Unit, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne.

Phillips, G. 2004, National Audit and Consultations Report – CDAMS Indigenous Health Curriculum Development Project, VicHealth Koori Health Research and Community Development Unit, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne.

Phillips, G. 2003, Addictions and Healing in Aboriginal Country, Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra.

Phillips, G. 2001, 'Addictions and Healing in Aboriginal Country', Drugs in Society, Summer.

Conference Papers

- ‘Alcohol, Trauma and Aboriginal Australia’. National Drug Research Institute and Aboriginal Alcohol and Drug Services Seminar, Perth, November 2007

- ‘Healing & Aboriginal Men’s Health’, South West Indigenous Family Violence Dinner, Gunditjmara Aboriginal Co-operative, Warnnambool, November 2007

- ‘Healing, Cultural Safety and the Criminal Justice System’, 3rd National Indigenous Justice CEOs Forum, Brisbane, November 2007

- ‘Health Care Workers and their Emotional Coping Skills’, 5th Healing Our Spirit Worldwide, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, August 2006

CDAMS Indigenous Health Curriculum Project:

- Australian and New Zealand Association of Medical Educators, Auckland, June 2005

- Australian Universities Quality Association, Sydney, July 2005

- International Conference on Learning, Granada, Spain, July 2005

- Rural Health Curriculum Development Conference, Tamworth, September, 2005

- International Network of Indigenous Health Knowledge, Vancouver, October, 2005

- Australian Indigenous Doctor’s Association Symposium, Newcastle, October, 2005

- ‘Owning the Problems and Finding the Solutions’, National Conference, Australian Council of Social Service, Keynote Address, Canberra, November 2003

- ‘Indigenous Australian Young Peoples: The Winds of Change’, Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, Youth Symposium, Canberra, November, 2003.