CONFERENCE 2024 INFORMATION FOR PRESENTATIONS
What is OPHA?
OPHA is a registered charity in Australia, functioning as the peak body representing Pacific health professionals and advocating for the health and wellbeing of the Pacific Islander community in Australia. We have been leaders in efforts to address health disparities for the Pasifika community in Australia including spearheading vaccination efforts and community awareness across a variety of topics since 2021. Our work has cemented our role as service delivery partners for government health equity initiative as well as embedding trust as advocates and clinicians for the Pasifika community. We remain engaged with various government and regional bodies pertinent to Pacific healthcare collaboration including Queensland Health and the Pacific Paediatric Association. Find out more on our website and instagram here and here.
Who can present at the Niu Ways Forward Conference?
We will accept abstracts for presentations from any and all speakers. Previous presenters at the 2023 OPHA workshop included medical practitioners, researchers, tertiary students, community leaders. We welcome any and all participants interested in learning more about how to advance the health and wellbeing of the Pasifika community in Australia.
What can I present on?
Ideally you will present on your own area of professional or academic focus which will be of interest and even practical application for a diverse audience of clinicians and academics and leaders who wish to know more about the status quo of Pasifika health in Australia and ways to improve it. This can be narrowed to specific sub-groups if that is relevant to your work ie. elders, children, seasonal workers, the prison population, women, sportspeople etc.
Given the theme for this years conference we intend to have sessions under the following themes but welcome creative license to determine how your work and presentation will fit under one of the following:
Pasifika research methodologies
Culturally safe service delivery and models of care for clinical practice with Pasifika patients in Australia
Navigating our Vaka in Digital spaces: social media, digital health and telehealth for Pasifika patients and clinicians
Niu challenges for mental wellbeing in the Australian diaspora
Niu waves: labour mobility, seasonal work and safety
Caring for Pasifika children and families
How do I prepare an abstract?
A ~500 word summary of the presentation, the focus of the work and the relevant outcomes. We hope to make these practical as well as informative, and so in particular we hope that you might be able to distill your presentation into a few take-home practical points at the end, that might inform a practitioners’ practice in the future as it applies to the care of Australians of Pasifika descent.
Once this is ready, email it to admin@opha.com.au.
The deadline for abstracts is August 11, 2024 and you will receive confirmation of your submission promptly thereafter. When your presentation has been written into the program, we will send a formal acceptance letter to allow you to communicate with supervisors and employers about your attendance and apply for sponsorship or funding from your workplace.
I don’t want to present but would love to attend. How can I register for the conference?
Conference registration and ticketing to the 2 days of conference and the Gala Dinner are now open via this link: https://events.humanitix.com/niu-ways-forward-pasifika-health-in-the-digital-age. Be sure to save the dates October 18-19 and start considering work leave applications!
Can I receive CPD points for attending the conference?
OPHA Conferences are not yet formally accredited for granting CPD points with any of the learned colleges but a Certificate of Attendance can be provided digitally for attendees detailing topics and duration for personal record-keeping.