Researchers and leaders gather for International Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Conference
Lowitja Institute, Australia’s only national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled health research institute, is hosting its 4th International Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Conference from 16–19 June 2025 on Kaurna
Country, Adelaide, South Australia.
Honouring our co-patron, Yankunytjatjara woman, the late Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue AC CBE DSG, the conference will prioritise First Nations voices in every element of its program, with a strong emphasis on showcasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderled research, community controlled health innovations, and intergenerational knowledge exchange.
More than 1,300 delegates are engaging with renowned experts and leading voices in Indigenous health and wellbeing research from across Australia and internationally.
‘We’re proud to host this significant gathering on the banks of Karra wirra-parri, bringing together over 230 presentations that celebrate the strength, knowledge, and innovation of Indigenous peoples across Australia and around the world at the Adelaide Convention Centre,’ Lowitja Institute CEO Paul Stewart said.
‘As the largest Indigenous health research conference in the Southern Hemisphere, our conference provides an incredible platform for sharing transformational research grounded in our ways of knowing, being, and doing.
‘It’s an opportunity to celebrate the depth of our knowledge systems and showcase the role of First Nations peoples as the original scientists, health workers, and researchers on this continent.’
The conference theme, ‘Strong, Fearless, Together’, is embedded throughout a program that includes presentations, workshops, panels, and poster presentations, spanning four thematic streams – Sovereignty and Self-Determination, Leadership and Workforce, Country and Climate, and Knowledges, Methodologies and Traditions.
Presenter Dan Bourchier is hosting the three-day program from Tuesday 17 June. Delegates will hear from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and researchers, alongside international guests from Aotearoa New Zealand, Canada, and Finland.
High-profile Indigenous keynote speakers include Professor Sheryl Lightfoot, globally recognised expert in Indigenous rights and global politics; Professor Rauna Kuokkanen, researcher on comparative Indigenous politics and law, Indigenous feminism and gender, Arctic governance, and settler colonialism in the Nordic countries; and Distinguished Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith, globally recognised scholar known for her work on decolonising research.
The program also includes three panel discussions on:
- Racism and health – focusing on Indigenous peoples’ efforts to eliminate racism from Indigenous healthcare as well as anti-racism efforts at the community, national and global levels.
- Enhancing resilience to climate change and protecting Country and culture – exploring how the wide-ranging impacts of climate change are affecting the health and wellbeing of Indigenous communities, from remote and regional
areas to urban centres and how we can seek concrete actions from governments and the private sector. - Advancing global Indigenous health and wellbeing data – examining how, despite many challenges, Indigenous peoples are reclaiming control of health data and reshaping the systems that influence our lives, communities,
and futures.
A warm Welcome to Country was given by Uncle Moogy Sumner, with a cultural sharing from Tal Kin Jeri dancers on Monday evening at the Pre-Conference Gathering. Lowitja Institute Chairperson Craig Ritchie delivered an opening
speech honouring Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue; followed by Kyam Maher, South Australia Attorney-General and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.
In addition to the conference program, our event will include a Gala Dinner hosting the Lowitja Institute Awards, recognising excellence in Indigenous health research, community leadership, and innovation.
