LIME Connection III

The Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education (LIME) biennial conference, LIME Connection was held in Melbourne on 3 - 4 December 2009, with a pre-conference Indigenous Caucus at the Institute of Koorie Education in Geelong on 2 December. The conference was an outcome of the LIME Network, a Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand Project hosted by the Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit within the School of Population Health at The University of Melbourne. The conference was held under the auspices of Medical Deans, the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association and Te ORA (Te Ohu Rata O Aotearoa) Maori Medical Practitioners Association of Aotearoa.

The LIME Connection provided an opportunity in which quality review, professional development, networking, capacity-building and advocacy functions of the network are actualised. The target audience for the Connection included Indigenous and non-Indigenous medical educators, Indigenous health specialists, policy makers, health professionals, community members, medical students and general practitioners from Australia, New Zealand, and further afield to discuss innovative approaches in Indigenous medical education and the experiences of practitioners. It also attracted educators and professionals from allied health and nursing. It aimed to encourage and support collaboration within and between medical schools and to build multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral linkages. The LIME Connection also hosted the Limelight Awards which acknowledged and celebrated the many successes in Indigenous medical education.

The LIME Connection III program format was streamlined it into a two-day program with a pre-conference Indigenous Caucus.  We aimed to maximise sharing through concurrent sessions and facilitated workshops and to encourage the participation of clinicians through the provision of an RACGP and ACRRM accredited Active Learning Modules. The Indigenous Caucus brought together Indigenous practitioners, medical educators, students and community members to share their experiences about workforce development, innovations in the field and strategies for the future. There was also the opportunity to take part in our events program that included food by local Indigenous caterers, entertainment and guided site tours.

The 2009 conference focused on ‘Advancing Indigenous Health: Workforce Innovations'. Specifically, the Conference addressed leading practice approaches to integrating Indigenous health into medical education and workplace training. In addition, the Conference will provide an opportunity to discuss and challenge some current practices and discuss emerging tools and techniques to drive continuous improvement in outcomes for Indigenous health.

KEY DATES

Call for Papers: Closed
Notification of Acceptance: Closed
Community Bursaries Close: Closed
Maori New Zealand Student Bursaries Closed
Early Bird and Speaker Registration Closed
Nominations for LIMElight Awards Closed

If you did not get a chance to fill out the evaluation form at the conference, please take a moment to fill out our LIME Connection III online evaluation form. Your comments and feedback will be much appreciated and will be used to inform organisation of LIME Connection IV to be held in New Zealand in 2011.